PM Imran appeals to overseas Pakistanis to donate to build dams

Terming water crisis as Pakistan's biggest challenge, the Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday appealed to Pakistanis living abroad to donate USD 1,000 apiece towards building dams in the country.

In a brief televised address to the nation, he urged overseas Pakistanis, especially those living in the United States and Europe, for donations to the dams fund set up by the Supreme Court.

"There is no question that we are faced with several significant problems," he said as he began the address, his second since assuming power on August 18.

"Our debt today stands at Rs 30,000 billion but the biggest problem we currently face is the water crisis.

"When Pakistan was made, every Pakistani had 5600 cubic metres of water. Today that stands at only 1000 cubic metres."
"They were not getting any external loans; no one will give us any loans from outside either," he said. "We already have so many loans that we are finding hard to repay, so no one is going to loan us anymore. We alone will have to build this dam, and we can. We just have to make up our minds."