Iran to expand aid relief for Pakistan

President Ahmadinejad in a meeting with Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Monday offered his condolences to the Pakistani government and nation over the recent massive floods. He said that Iran was ready to send more aid to the country.

“Sending aid to the victims of the flood is a religious and humanitarian duty and the Iranian nation is fully ready to help our brothers in Pakistan,” President Ahmadinejad said.

The Pakistani minister, for his part, thanked Iran for sending aid to the country and provided the Iranian chief executive with a report on the extent of damage caused by heavy floods.

The Islamic Republic has so far dispatched nearly 200 tons of relief aid to the flood-ravaged Pakistan.

The death toll from floods in Pakistan has risen to more than 1,600 with up to 20 million people having been affected by the floods so far.

The situation caused by the floods is getting more unwieldy for the Pakistani government as hunger, lack of hygiene and the outbreak of diseases threaten lives of many Pakistanis.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said on Monday that the country needed at least three years to recover.


/Press TV/