The UN has said Pakistan's "image deficit" has been affecting efforts to mobilise aid for the 20 million people affected by the worst floods in the country's history.
Pakistan today dismissed world community's concerns about aid for flood victims being diverted to extremist groups, saying the government appreciated the work being done for survivors by all NGOs, including those related to religious groups.
The UN has said Pakistan's "image deficit" has been affecting efforts to mobilise aid for the 20 million people affected by the worst floods in the country's history.
Several banned groups like the Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed have filled gaps in the government's lacklustre relief operations by despatching hundreds of volunteers to flood-hit areas.
Asked about relief efforts being conducted by NGOs with links to jihadi groups during the weekly news briefing, foreign office spokesperson Abdul Basit said, "As far as we are concerned, NGOs are working in the field and they are providing useful assistance (and) complementing the government's efforts and that is appreciated."
He said it was "very easy to term any particular NGO as a jehadi organisation" and added that he did not know how an NGO could be defined as a jehadi organisation.
"I think NGOs related to political parties (and) religious-political parties, they are all doing a commendable job in complementing the government's efforts and we should appreciate (them) rather than attaching nomenclatures which are not in sync with the ground reality," Basit said.
Groups like the Falah-e-Insaniyat, a front for the Jamaat-ud-Dawah that has been blamed by India for having links to the 2008 Mumbai attacks, have set up relief camps in flood-affected areas in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Witnesses have said they had seen the JuD flag flying at some of these camps.
The Falah-e-Insaniyat has also set up camps in cities like Islamabad and Lahore to gather funds for the flood victims.
The international community has expressed concern that funds meant for the victims could be diverted to extremist groups.
However, Basit dismissed the world community's concerns about "trust deficit" and fears that funds would go to extremist groups.
"I do not think that is really a concern because at the end of the day, it is the government of Pakistan which has the space, the mandate and the responsibility to provide assistance and relief to the affected people," he said.
"I do not see any trust deficit as far as the international response is concerned," he added.
Basit acknowledged that the world community's initial response to the floods was slow but said this could not be attributed to any particular aspect or factor.
"The situation is now gaining momentum and we are now getting the international community behind us in this very difficult time for us," he said.
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