Int’l aid can help Pakistan be anchor of stability: FoDP
26 August, 2009
ISTANBUL: International partnership can help Pakistan develop a win-win scenario to become an anchor of stability in the region and the world, the ministerial meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) declared on Tuesday.
The meeting, co-chaired by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, was briefed on the Malakand Pilot Project, a comprehensive development programme that addresses the return of the two million people displaced by the operation as well as the reconstruction of the area.
High priority: The meeting’s participants, including delegates from 20 countries as well as the UN and other international institutions, appreciated Islamabad’s handling of the internally displaced crisis, noting that more than 1.4 million people had returned to their homes already. They said it was essential to accord high priority to the reconstruction of the conflict-hit areas to win the hearts and minds of the people. They also reiterated the international community’s decision to support the Pakistan government’s efforts for the socio-economic uplift of the affected areas.
The meeting also welcomed Pakistan’s successful transition to a democracy with a functioning parliament, an independent judiciary, a free media and a vibrant civil society. It also applauded the Pakistan government’s decision to relaunch a revitalised Pakistan Development Forum and recommended a special focus on energy, security and other national priorities.
More partnership: The Istanbul meeting also underlined the need to develop partnership between the public and private sectors to help the nation’s economy. It decided to continue to strengthen and expand cooperation with Pakistan, collectively and individually, to enable the country to build upon its inherent strengths.
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