There are always differences, but Pakistan has been playing a very substantial role in the reconstruction of Afghainstan in the last few years. Afghainistan also was one of the first countries to offer assistance to Pakistan after the earthquake last year.
‘Pakistan pledged $250m for Afghan reconstruction’
By Zulfiqar Ghuman
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri informed the Senate on Friday that Pakistan had pledged $250 million for assistance in reconstruction of Afghanistan since 2002. The foreign minister further said that the projects undertaken by the Pakistan government since 2004 dealt with the construction of infrastructure in Afghanistan and capacity building projects for Afghan government officials. Health Minister Nasir Khan told the house that his ministry had launched a countrywide anti-hepatitis programme. He said that the ministry had identified 58 district hospitals where the treatment of some 5,000 hepatitis patients would start soon. “We have procured the vaccines required for the treatment,” he added. The minister said that the government could not pursue too many projects since most of its energies and resources were concentrated towards to the earthquake-affected areas. However, he said, this year, the ministry would involve genuine NGOs working against the spread of hepatitis. The minister said that work on women’s hospitals could not start on time due to some structural changes and the lack of capacity in the Pakistan Works Department (PWD) upon which many senators criticised the PWD and asked the government to approach other departments if the PWD was insufficient to meet their demands. Nasir Khan also came under fire for not fulfilling his promise to check the use of Danish medicines in government hospitals. The minister said that the funds which had been allocated to different departments but had not been utilised, could be reallocated to the earthquake-hit areas in case of an emergency. However, he said, the government had already allocated more funds for the projects there. Senator Bhinder was critical of the government for not releasing funds in certain cases resulting in increased cost of projects in some cases while in yet some cases, though the government had released funds for the welfare of the people, the ministry concerned had failed to utilise the allocated funds.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\05\13\story_13-5-2006_pg7_17
