The government and international donors on Wednesday failed to develop consensus on total loss of October 8 earthquake and funds required for rehabilitation and reconstruction work during a several hours long meeting.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who presented Pakistan''s case in the meeting, informed the representatives of the international donors that their assessment was much less than the actual loss and on the same basis their estimates for funds to undertake rehabilitation and reconstruction was unrealistic.
Sources said the prime minister gave a clear message to the donors representatives who attended the meeting that they need to review their assessment to give a true picture of damage to the world for an international conference to be held in Islamabad on the loss caused by the earthquake and funds needed by the Government of Pakistan for quick rehabilitation and reconstruction work.
The sources added that the prime minister urged the need of reconciled figure of deaths, injured, displaced people and loss caused to the housing and infrastructure in damaged areas and asked the donors to take all the facts into account before finalising their assessment report for the conference.
Islamabad-based representatives of all the important international donors, including World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Japan and Canada, attended the meeting.
A 50-member team of the international donors has completed its assessment report on loss of earthquake and money needed by the Government of Pakistan for rehabilitation and reconstruction work.
The report became controversial when the government side rejected it in its one of the previous meetings, saying, it did not give true picture of the devastation.
Wednesday''s meeting was convened to reconcile the figures of damage and funds that are needed for rehabilitation and reconstruction phases.
Pakistan and international donors differ on various issues relating to earthquake. The international donors have assessed that Pakistan needs $4 billion for rehabilitation and reconstruction of earthquake-hit parts of the country, whereas the government estimates $5 billion.
Housing sector and money required for its reconstruction are other areas where the government and international donors stood apart.
The donor assessment team had calculated the loss to the housing sector in damaged parts at $1 billion and the government estimates $2 billion.
The sources said Pakistan gives top priority to the reconciled figures of loss and money required for reconstruction as the government would present these to the world community at the international conference.
The officials expect more meetings with the donors in coming days to sort out differences ahead of the conference.
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