Pakistan pledges $3m for Saarc Covid fund

Published April 10, 2020
Modi had proposed the fund at the Saarc leader’s virtual summit on March 15. — AFP/File
Modi had proposed the fund at the Saarc leader’s virtual summit on March 15. — AFP/File

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday pledged $3 million towards the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation’s (Saarc) Covid-19 Emergency Fund — the brainchild of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The Government of Pakistan has pledged US$ 3 million towards the SAARC Covid-19 Emergency Fund to support regional efforts in the fight against Coronavirus,” the Foreign Office said in a statement after a telephonic conversation between Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and Saarc Secretary General, Esala Ruwan Weerakoon.

PM Modi had proposed the fund at the Saarc leader’s virtual summit on March 15. India pledged $10m for the fund, which was meant to assist the countries in the region to deal with the pandemic. Other pledges include $5m by Sri Lanka, Bangladesh $1.5m, Nepal and Afghanistan $1m each, Maldives $0.2m and Bhutan $0.1m.

Pakistan was the last member state to contribute to the fund, which now has pledges worth $21.8m.

Pakistan announced the pledge a day after it stayed away from another regional initiative proposed by PM Modi under Saarc umbrella — the meeting of the trade officials of the member countries to discuss the impact of the pandemic on intra-regional trade.

Pakistan’s reservations about the fund relating to its administration and utilisation remain unaddressed. Islamabad has been asking for the fund to be placed under Saarc secretary general and that the modalities for its utilisation be negotiated by the member states.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2020

Opinion

Editorial

Agriculture tax
Updated 16 Nov, 2024

Agriculture tax

Amendments made in Punjab's agri income tax law are crucial to make the system equitable.
Genocidal violence
16 Nov, 2024

Genocidal violence

A RECENTLY released UN report confirms what many around the world already know: that Israel has been using genocidal...
Breathless Punjab
16 Nov, 2024

Breathless Punjab

PUNJAB’s smog crisis has effectively spiralled out of control, with air quality readings shattering all past...
Last call
Updated 15 Nov, 2024

Last call

PTI should hardly be turning its "final" protest into a "do or die" occasion.
Mini budget talk
15 Nov, 2024

Mini budget talk

NO matter how much Pakistan’s finance managers try to downplay the prospect of a ‘mini budget’ to pull off a...
Diabetes challenge
15 Nov, 2024

Diabetes challenge

AMONGST the many public health challenges confronting Pakistan, diabetes arguably does not get the attention it...