ISLAMABAD:

The government on Monday announced that it would not seek foreign aid to rebuild areas destroyed by ongoing devastating floods, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif constituted a committee to assess the damages to crops, shelter and livelihoods.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal who announced the government's decision not to take foreign loans for reconstruction activities, also said that Pakistan could not take a new loan from China for the Mainline-I project due to its inability to pay back old loans that are rolled over every year.

"Pakistan will undertake rehabilitation and reconstruction of the damaged areas by using its own financial resources and without taking any external assistance," Iqbal said, while addressing a press conference.

The minister also spoke at the launching

See Full Page