No to foreign aid for Punjab: Shahbaz Sharif
Published: May 16, 2011
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Monday announced that Punjab will no longer accept foreign aid in order to “safeguard the dignity of Pakistan”. PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Monday announced that Punjab will not accept foreign aid anymore in order to “safeguard the dignity of Pakistan”.
Sharif was speaking to the media after a cabinet meeting at the Chief Minister House in Lahore.
The announcement comes as United States senator John Kerry, who is known for brokering a record $7.5 billion dollar aid package, visits Pakistan for talks with the civilian and military leadership of the country.
The chief minister said that Pakistan should focus on trade rather than foreign aid, adding that dependency on aid was forcing the country to compromise on key issues.
He said the decision had been take in order to safeguard the country and hoped that other provinces would make the same decision. He added that the country will be able to take a stand on issues like drone strikes and the Bin Laden operation once it is free from foreign aid.
PML-N chief asks Pakistan to stop taking aid Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) Chief Nawaz Sharif said on Monday that Pakistan should stop taking aid from the US before the US stops the aid itself.Speaking to the media outside the Quaid-e-Azam mausoleum in Karachi, Nawaz Sharif called for an independent commission to be formulated on the US operation in Abbottabad and asked it to bring facts before the nation as soon as possible.
Commenting on the Raymond Davis issue, Nawaz said the Diyat money for his release came from the tax payers as the US and the Pakistan government both have denied paying the money.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/169730/no-to-foreign-aid-for-punjab-shahbaz-sharif/