ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates has decided to help the provincial administration of Pakistan’s Sindh province with the construction of houses for people affected by the unprecedented monsoon floods last year, said an official statement issued by the Chief Minister’s House on Saturday.
The devastating floods in Pakistan killed more than 1,700 people, affecting about 33 million lives while destroying large swathes of agricultural land. The estimated losses were said to have exceeded $30 billion, forcing the government to seek international assistance to deal with the relief and rehabilitation work.
Sindh and Balochistan were the worst-affected provinces where flood water has still not receded from certain areas.
“The ambassador of the UAE to Pakistan, Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi, has told Chief Minister of Sindh Murad Ali Shah that his country will help the provincial government in building houses for flood victims and the project will soon be finalized,” said the official statement after Shah’s meeting with the UAE envoy.
During the meeting, the two officials agreed to further promote bilateral relations and trade between their countries.
Pakistan has always maintained close diplomatic and defense ties with the UAE. More than 1.6 million Pakistani expatriates live in the Gulf country and work in public and private sectors.
Each year, they remit over $4 billion to Pakistan. According to official data, the Pakistani diaspora in the UAE remitted a whopping $5.10 billion in 2022.
Grappling with a worsening economic crisis, Islamabad has also looked toward the UAE for help with external financing to fulfill a requirement of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) before the resumption of critical bailout funds.
Pakistan’s finance minister Ishaq Dar said last month the UAE had confirmed it would financially support Pakistan with $1 billion, brightening the South Asian country’s prospects of reviving the $6.5 billion IMF loan program.