Zardari faces US questions on $700m

Oct 19, 2010 |

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Islamabad, Oct. 18: The Pakistan President, Mr Asif Ali Zardari, and his economic team were embarrassed when Mr Richard Holbrooke, the US Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, pointed to a difference of $700 million in figures given by Islamabad regarding the amounts already disbursed by Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FODP), official sources said.

The sources said that the Pakistan finance ministry had shown an approximate disbursement of $ 325 million from the FODP. Mr Holbrooke is said to have hit the ceiling as according to his figures the amount had already crossed the $ 1 billion mark, leaving a gaping difference of $ 700 million between the figures of both sides. This yawning gap, according to highly placed sources, was pointed out by Mr Holbrooke during his meeting with Mr Zardari. The President ordered an immediate probe and after careful rechecking, it was found that Mr Holbrooke was right after all.

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