Newly Elected Pakistani PM Imran Khan Wants To Extend “Humanitarian Assitance” For Kerala
New Delhi: The newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan has offered help for Kerala on humanitarian basis after the devastating floods.
Imran Khan, who was elected as the 22nd prime minister of Pakistan and took oath for the position on last Saturday, said on his twitter handle that “On behalf of the people of Pakistan, we send our prayers and best wishes to those who have been devastated by the floods in Kerala, India.”
“We stand ready to provide any humanitarian assistance that may be needed,” he added.
More than 237 people were killed due to the deadly floods resulting from the torrential rain in Kerala which started on August 8. About 14 lakh or more people have been displaced due to the floods as of now. The state of Kerala faced severe losses which are estimated to be around Rs. 20,000 crores. For immediate relief, the government of Kerala asked for Rs. 2,600, but the center took the decision of allocating Rs. 600 crores till now.
Despite the need for funds, the government at the center is not accepting financial help for Kerala from other countries. “In line with existing policy, the government of India is committed to meeting the requirements for relief and rehabilitation through domestic efforts,” the foreign ministry said in a statement last night.
The clarification from the government side came after an offer of Rs. 700 crore was made by the United Arab Emirates to help flood-hit Kerala and according to other reports, countries like Qatar and Maldives too had offered help in this regard.
A positive signal of effort to hold dialogues with India was made by Pakistan under the stewardship of Imran Khan after his recent controversial election victory last month. “If India comes and takes one step towards us, we will take two,” said the cricketer-turned-politician. The leader has targeted India during his entire campaign for last month’s election.
Soon after his election, Prime Minister Modi called him over the phone and spoke regarding “peace and development” in the sub-continent.
On another occasion of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s death, the newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan had also said that we can honor the BJP leader’s legacy by establishing peace between the two countries.
India too is looking for opportunities to mend ties with its neighbor but has responded to such offers time and again by putting conditions of stopping cross-border terrorism from the Pakistani border.