Khalifa allots $200m in aid for Pakistan
dubai — The President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has granted $200million (Dh735million) in aid to launch the third Phase of UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme (UAE PAP).
The agreement, which will be funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), was signed in Islamabad by Abdullah Khalifa Al Ghafli, PAP director, and Commandant MCE Major General Anwar Ul Haq Chaudhry of the Pakistani Army, in the presence of Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan General Qamar Javed Bajwa and UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Obeid Al Zaabi.
The signing of agreement comes in implementation of Sheikh Khalifa, under the patronage of Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and the follow-up of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, to provide humanitarian aid to Pakistan.
The UAE PAP has been launched with the objective of providing help and humanitarian assistance to the people of Pakistan and support their development initiatives for a better future. Its mission is to execute development aid projects that offer sustainability and continuous benefits to beneficiaries over the long run.
During the signing ceremony, the UAE representatives presented a memorial plaque to the Chief of Pakistan Army, marking the 51st anniversary of the drive of humanitarian aid for Pakistan initiated by late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in 1967.
Abdullah Khalifah Al Ghafli, director of the UAE PAP, said: “This phase complements the previous phases, under which 165 development and humanitarian projects at a cost of $365 million have been established.”
He added: “Today, as we sign this agreement, we celebrate the Year of Zayed and mark as well the passing of more than 51 years since the beginning of the charitable and philanthropic initiatives launched by late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in 1967, in Pakistan.”
Commenting on the agreement, Hamad Obaid Al Zaabi, UAE Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, affirmed that the launch of the third phase of the UAE’s development and humanitarian projects in Pakistan underscores the commitment of the UAE to stand constantly by the people of Pakistan, affirming that the PAP is a pioneering model and a tangible guide to success of the humanitarian development effort of the UAE leadership.
“The relentless humanitarian and developmental efforts made by the UAE wise leadership are the basic pillars of the country’s foreign policy established by Sheikh Zayed and have been maintained by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan,” said the ambassador.
“The relations between the UAE and Pakistan are based on mutual love and respect and they have blossomed into a variety of fruitful partnerships,” the ambassador said, considering friendship
Today, as we sign this agreement, we celebrate the Year of Zayed and mark more than 51 years since the beginning of the charitable initiatives launched by Sheikh Zayed in 1967, in Pakistan.
Abdullah Khalifah Al Ghafli, director of the UAE PAP
and close ties between the two countries as the main element of the growing partnership between the countries.
He added that the second major pillar of the bilateral relations between the two countries is the harmony in views on issues of regional and global importance. “Pakistan and the UAE share the same principles of tolerance and inclusiveness as being the main guarantees for peace and stability in the region.”
The third pillar is the “human” factor, which, the ambassador said, is the main element in the UAE’s humanitarian policy.
In this regard, he cited the schools, colleges, hospitals, clinics, water supply projects, roads and bridges established by the UAE in various regions of Pakistan. “Such projects translate the importance the UAE leadership attaches to education and health while building communities, with the ultimate goal of grooming generations capable of spearheading their nations in the future.”
Al Zaabi added that Sheikh Mohamed has played a prominent role in polio eradication in Pakistan thanks to his generous donations to provide anti polio-vaccinations to Pakistani children in remote and hard-to-reach areas.
One more reflection of the historical and distinctive relations between the two countries is the large Pakistani community living in the UAE, wo have significantly contributed to the country’s development drive and journey of success, the UAE ambassador to Pakistan stressed. — Wam