Richer economies should wave off loans of developing countries: PM

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Warning about new coronavirus devastation to developing nations, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan warned richer economies that they should wave off the debts of the world’s developing countries including Pakistan. In an interview with American news agency ‘The Associated Press’, the prime minister also expressed his feared that the novel coronavirus may destroy the economy of the developed nations. He asked the richer countries to prepare to write off the debts of the world’s poorer nations. “If new coronavirus spreads, we will all unable to tackle this virus due to our health facilities,” Imran Khan said. “It's not just Pakistan. I would imagine the same in India, in the subcontinent, in African countries,” he added. “My worry is poverty and hunger. The world community has to think of some sort of a debt write-off for countries like us, which are very vulnerable, at least that will help us in coping with the coronavirus,” the premier expressed his reservations. PM Imran Khan further called for lifting sanctions against Iran, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East. The prime minister also termed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s recent comments as disappointing, and said that it should have been appreciation of the way Pakistan has gone about furthering the peace process in Afghanistan.