ISLAMABAD: King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) on Friday concluded its 2020 winter project to aid Pakistan’s poorest families amid the worst cold spell in decades.
The aid reached 21 regions in four provinces of the country, benefiting approximately 150,000 people, the Saudi Embassy in Islamabad said in a statement.
The relief project reached residents of remote regions of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan, and Balochistan.
When in late January hundreds were killed and injured by avalanches and other extreme weather incidents, with the highest numbers of casualties reported in the Neelum Valley of Azad Kashmir, KSRelief was the first international agency to arrive in mountain villages in the area with winter survival kits.
Muhammad Farooq, a resident of Surgan village in the region, told Arab News the snow-laden area was particularly difficult to access and the winter aid was life-saving for the community.
“This organization is the first one to reach us and these blankets and other items are very precious for us,” another resident, Afzaal Rafiqhe, told Arab News when the aid reached the village on Jan. 25.
The Saudi agency has also won hearts in other destitute regions, including Khyber district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“With my tiny salary it would not be possible for me to buy such things. KSRelief won many hearts and prayers,” Muhammad Irshad, a helper at a grocery shop at Landi Kotal bazaar near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, told Arab News upon receiving KSRelief’s winter package on Feb. 6.
“My children along with my wife are glad and we have words to thank KSRelief. They supported us in this very difficult time,” he said.
Hajji Rahman, a daily wager in Khyber, said his family has been “offering prayers for this generosity.”
“Because of the very cold season I couldn’t work properly and due to that I could not mange to earn enough money to keep my kids warm,” he said.
On Jan. 6, KSRelief launched the $1.5 million winter relief project to distribute winter survival kits containing 180 tons of goods.
With one of the largest humanitarian aid budgets in the world, the organization has been working in 46 countries. Pakistan is the fifth-largest recipient of its assistance and has received more than $117.6 million in aid since 2005.
KSRelief winter aid reaches 150,000 Pakistanis in frost-hit areas
https://arab.news/nua6c
KSRelief winter aid reaches 150,000 Pakistanis in frost-hit areas
- KSRelief was the first international agency to reach Neelum Valley with aid
- The $1.5 million winter relief project was launched on Jan. 6
Bangladesh approves new rice imports from Pakistan amid price pressures
- The deal follows Bangladesh’s resumption of direct rice trade with Pakistan earlier this year for the first time since independence in 1971
- Diplomatic ties between the two nations have improved since the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina after mass protests last year
DHAKA: Bangladesh has approved the import of 50,000 metric tons of white rice from Pakistan under a government-to-government deal as part of efforts to stabilize domestic prices, officials said on Tuesday.
The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase cleared the deal at $395 per ton, reinforcing Dhaka’s renewed trade engagement with Islamabad.
Rice prices in Bangladesh have jumped by between 15 percent and 20 percent over the past year, with medium-quality rice selling at about 80 taka ($0.66) per kilogram. Despite increased imports and the removal of duties to ease supply constraints, prices for the staple grain remain stubbornly high.
The deal follows Bangladesh’s resumption of direct rice trade with Pakistan earlier this year for the first time since independence in 1971. In February, it imported 50,000 tons of rice from Pakistan at $499 per ton under a similar agreement.
Diplomatic ties between the two South Asian nations have improved since an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took office after mass protests forced then prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to neighboring India last year.
Formerly East Pakistan, Bangladesh gained independence after a nine-month war in 1971, and relations with Pakistan have remained fraught in the decades since the conflict.
Separately, the government approved another 50,000 tons of parboiled rice through an international tender, part of a series of recent purchases aimed at cooling local prices. India’s Pattabhi Agro Foods secured the contract with the lowest bid of $355.77 per ton.
