Pakistan has redirected RS550 million from his Asian Development Bank (ADB) grants to provide flood relief to Turkey and Syria, a step revealed during a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), reported Express News.

Auditors revealed that flooding items worth the RS552.6 million were sent from the ADB subsidy. Committee member Omar Ayub expressed concern and said, “We act as benefactors, but this money was a grant for us.” He added that ADB provided the grant to Pakistan, not to be used for charity.

In response to the criticism, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) President Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik that the ADB grant was initially awarded for flood victims in Pakistan. He explained that the help sent to Turkey and Syria was from the available stock and said, “We have always helped our friends in times of need.”

Shazia Marri, another committee member, acknowledged that helping friendly nations in difficult times was commendable, but questioned why Pakistan used his aids to help others. “The real question is that you use AID, intended for us to help other countries,” she said.

PAC chairman noticed, “You can spend your own money as you find appropriate, but was it right to send help from money that wasn’t even yours?” In response, the NDMA -President, assured the committee that the ADB grant had been returned to Pakistan.

PAC has requested a full report on the case from NDMA within a month.