ISLAMABAD: Prime Min­ister Shehbaz Sharif will formally announce government measures for the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase for the post-flood recovery of affected dis­tricts on Oct 24, the Planning Com­mission said on Saturday.

The announcement came after the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment of the damages and losses in the wake of catastrophic floods that hit Pakistan in August has been completed by the planning and development division in collaboration with the World Bank, ADB, EU and UN.

Addressing a roundtable on the sidelines of the World Bank-IMF annual meetings on Friday, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal shared some of the report’s key findings.

“It is the time for the richest people of the world to help the poorest people of Pakistan who are the victims of the development in the advanced world,” he said.

The UK PM’s special representative, Nigel Casey, recalled that while international response so far has been rapid and extensive., “this crucial humanitarian aid alone will be insufficient for Pakistan’s recovery, and building back to a stronger, more resilient position must be at the forefront of our minds.”

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2022