ISLAMABAD: In the wake of recent devastating floods in Pakistan, the response from the international community has been very forthcoming, the Foreign Office said on Friday.
“The initial flash appeal of August 30 was for $160.3 million and within a couple of weeks, a large portion of that had been pledged,” Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said during a weekly media briefing.
Subsequently, a revised flash appeal of $816 million was launched on October 4, Ahmad said, adding that so far, pledges of over $205 million have been made, out of which $90 million have already been committed or actualised.
“It relates to urgent humanitarian needs. Now, the overall damage that has been caused by the floods is expected to run into tens of billions of dollars, and the assistance required for that will be part of a separate international conference focusing on sustainable rehabilitation and reconstruction,” the spokesperson said.
The catastrophic monsoon rain and floods since mid-June have killed more than 1,700 people and affected over 33 million people across Pakistan.
