UAE rolls over $2bn loan, gives additional $1bn to Pakistan

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ABU DHABI: The President of the United Arab Emirates announced to roll over the debt of $2 billion of Pakistan and give an additional loan of $1 billion.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif met with the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi, in which the two leaders discussed issues of mutual interest. The UAE president announced rollover and additional loan of one billion dollars.

Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayed also welcomed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Abu Dhabi and expressed his wish for the development and prosperity of Pakistan.

The Emirati president also praised the historic relations between the two countries and the valuable services of the Pakistani community in the UAE.

Earlier, praising the world community for making over $10 billion aid pledges for flood-hit areas and the people of Pakistan, Prime Minister Sheh­baz Sharif said that through these aid commitments, the world community and aid agencies had placed confidence in the government of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

The donors’ conference at Geneva was jointly hosted by Pakistan and the United Nations.

In a separate development, the the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the government would set up a Danish School and Centre of Excellence Authority in Balochistan to provide free-of-charge modern education to poor children.

“A big thank you to heads of states and governments, European Union, our development partners, and the United Nations for making Resilient Pakistan Conference a resounding success,” PM Sharif said in a tweet after his return to the country.

He also commended the active role played by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in highlighting the plight of flood-hit people of Pakistan.

Pakistan on Monday secured over $10 billion pledges from the world financial institutions, donor agencies and development partners for recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation of the people hit by unprecedented floods, at the donors’ conference.