Muslim Aid urges IMF, WB to wave off Pak debt

ISLAMABAD (Online) - Muslim Aid Country Director Khobaib A Vahedy has urged the IMF and the World Bank to ease or waive off the debts of Pakistan amid the worst devastation caused by the unprecedented floods in the living memory. He was speaking in the emergency meeting of relief organisations of Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) me-mber states held the other day at a local hotel in Islamabad. The meeting was co-chaired by OIC Secretary General Prof Dr Ekmeleddin Ihasanoglu and Foreign Minister Shah Mehm-ood Qureshi. The main agenda of the meeting was to help coordinate and plan the relief efforts and rehabilitation. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu received situational reports from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Islamic Conference Humanitarian Affairs Department (OIC-ICHA-D) and other international NGOs. The meeting also discussed the efforts to mobilise assistance and consider mechanisms for coordination and information sharing among NGOs and the government. These deliberations would identify the current gaps, needs and challenges faced by relief organisations, said Muslim Aid Country Director. During the meeting, Khobaib said the international monetary institutions should ease or wave off debts of Pakistan. While responding to the suggestion, Qureshi said the govt was working on the issue of some financial settlements, We will ask the IMF and the World Bank to relax some issues regarding debts of Pakistan.

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