ISLAMABAD: DP World, one of the world’s largest logistics and port terminal operators headquartered in Dubai, has announced donating $2.5 million to Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) embassy said on Sunday, after massive floods caused widespread death and destruction in the South Asian country.
Cataclysmic floods have killed at least 1,638 people, displaced more than 33 million and inundated a third of Pakistan since the onset of monsoon season in mid-June.
The deluges have damaged millions of homes, swept away livestock and standing crops, causing an estimated loss of $3 billion to the South Asian country, already grappling with an economic crisis.
The announcement of $2.5 million donation came after DP World Chairman Sheikh Sultan bin Sulayem's meetings with Pakistan President Arif Alvi and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
"DP World supports the relief efforts in the aftermath of floods and torrential rains that hit large parts of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and announces to donate $2.5 million dollars to the Pakistan Army's Flood Relief account," the UAE embassy in Islamabad said on Twitter.
The DP World chairman arrived in Pakistan on Friday to assess the scale of the disaster, which officials have blamed on human-driven climate change.
Sheikh Sultan said he was interested in setting up industrial parks in Pakistan, which had a huge investment potential and availability of human resource.
“The vision I have is to open industrial parks in Pakistan which will be equipped with modern infrastructure,” he said at a press conference in Karachi on Friday.
"Human resource is no problem in Pakistan as the country has many highly educated engineers, who will work in these industrial parks."
The Dubai-based logistics firm already operates a container terminal at the Karachi port.
Pakistan and the UAE have close fraternal relations and bilateral cooperation in a range of fields. The UAE is also Pakistan’s largest trading partner in the Middle East and home to more than 1.6 million Pakistanis.
