ISLAMABAD: As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called his counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani offering more assistance to flood victims, Pakistan on Thursday said it has not yet decided on the USD five million aid pledged by India last week in the wake of the devastating deluge in this country.
The Pakistan government is considering the proposal and no decision has been made in this regard, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told reporters in response to a question on India's aid offer.
"We appreciate the gesture by India. Their offer has been conveyed to relevant authorities and the matter is under consideration," he said.
To another question about the US administration's stand that Pakistan should accept the aid from India, Basit said: "Pakistan is a sovereign country and we will take a decision according to what we believe is the right thing to do."
His remarks came as Singh called Gilani and offered more assistance in handling the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan.
Singh said in such times of natural disasters, all of South Asia should rise to the occasion and extend every possible help to the people of Pakistan affected by the tragedy.
Nearly one-fifth of Pakistan has been badly hit by the floods, the worst for the country in 80 years. Over 1,700 people have died and the UN says more than 6,50,000 people are without basic shelter while six million desperately need emergency aid.
Last week, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna had called his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi and offered USD five million in aid for flood relief work.
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