Government of Saudi Arabia will provide relief goods worth $24 million to internally displaced persons (IDPs) of Fata and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Charge d' Affaires of Saudi Arabia Embassy in Pakistan, Abdul Rehman Al Badawi and Deputy Country Representative Pakistan Chapter World Food Programme Majeed Yahya at a joint press conference announced on Thursday.
Charge d' Affaires said that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Saudi Development Fund and the World Food Program in Riyadh Saudi Arabia under which the Saudi government would hand over relief goods worth $24 million for the IDPs of the tribal areas and Kyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The WFP, however, would be facilitated to complete the construction work of a logistical base in Bir Bayah near Peshawar. The base would not only equip with modern facilities, but would be one of the biggest storage bases for the WFP in the area.
The memorandum was signed on behalf of Saudi Development Fund by Yosif Albasam and on the behalf of the WFP by Ramiro Lobaz. Charge d' Affaires said, "The assistance provided by the Saudi Arabia demonstrates its permanent partnership in achieving the food security in the effected areas in the entire world and especially in Pakistan". To a question, he replied that delay in releases of $100 million under FODP arrangement was due to lengthy operational mechanism.
Later, WFP representative said that Saudi government was the 2nd largest donor of the food program with contribution of $500 million. In the wake of military operation, which displaced 2.6 million people, Saudi government released relief goods worth $1.2 million immediately for Kyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. He said WFP would buy supply wheat, pulses, high nutritious biscuits to IDPs. WFP have availability of 25 mobile storage units, which having storage capacity of 11250 MT.
Replying to a question, he said some time they discontinued their operations due to lack of funding, but they were in regular contact with the local and international community. So, in Pakistan they succeeded to continue supply of food items to IDPs.