By IANS,
Islamabad: Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Saturday that his country lost $43 billion fighting terrorism in the past nine years and urged the global community to help rebuild its economy.
He made the remarks during a meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) in Islamabad. He said 2,550 soldiers were killed during the period, the Online news agency reported.
“After 9/11 attacks, Pakistan witnessed 247 suicide blasts, in which some 3,000 civilians were killed and more than 7,000 injured,” he added.
Qureshi, who chaired the meeting, urged the donor agencies and the world community to honour their pledge of economic aid made during the Tokyo conference.
The meeting was held as part of the preparations for the 3rd FoDP Ministerial Meeting in Brussels Oct 15. Officials from over a dozen countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Britain and the US attended. Representatives of the UN, the European Union, the Asian Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and the World Bank also took part.