Pakistan will get additional £10 million aid from the United Kingdom to provide relief items to flood-affected people in the country.

According to a statement issued by the British High Commission Islamabad, the announcement of the additional humanitarian aid was made by Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, UK Minister of State for South Asia (FCDO), during his visit to Pakistan.

In addition to the UK’s £26.5 million donation in humanitarian funding, a UK Royal Air Force flight recently delivered eight boats and 10 portable power generators for flood relief operations in Pakistan.

The extra aid will be spent on providing shelter, water and sanitation services to flood survivors to prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases among them.

“The UK continues to help the people of Pakistan recover from the recent devastating floods. Our support will help to tackle the spread of waterborne diseases and to improve access to clean water, sanitation, medical care and shelter across the country,” the statement quoted Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon as saying.

He said that they were working night and day with Pakistan and their international partners to ensure that UK aid could reach the hardest-hit areas. “As well as helping with urgent life-saving needs, the UK is supporting Pakistan’s economic recovery and resilience against future climate disasters,” he added.

He said that the new Developing Countries Trading Scheme would help to grow trade by giving duty-free access to 94% of goods exported from Pakistan to the UK.

During his visit to Pakistan, Lord Ahmad will meet the prime minister, foreign minister and other government counterparts to discuss the impact of the floods, visit the most-affected areas and speak with key UK-funded aid agencies on the ground in Sindh.

The UK minister will also meet with key government counterparts, community leaders and aid agencies to discuss the response to the humanitarian crisis and long-term recovery for the country, according to the statement received by WealthPK.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk