DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (TBEN) — Pakistan’s prime minister traveled to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday as his country seeks international aid to recover from devastating floods.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s visit to the UAE is his third since becoming prime minister last April. The seven sheikhdoms of the Emirates are home to some 1.7 million Pakistanis, many of them manual laborers who drive the economy and send money back to their countries.
Sharif planned to meet with the leader of the Emirates, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, during the two-day trip.
On Wednesday, Sharif said several countries and some institutions around the world have pledged $9.7 billion to help Pakistan rebuild from the summer’s catastrophic flood, which killed 1,739 people. The floods destroyed more than 2 million homes and caused more than $30 billion in damage.
