Gilani asks UN to reconsider decision to reduce 40 percent staff in Pakistan

Islamabad, Dec 18(ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has asked the United Nations (UN) to reconsider its decision to trim down its staff in Pakistan.

Gilani said this while holding talks with the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy on Humanitarian Assistance and Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Friends of Democratic Pakistan, Jean-Maurice Ripert, who had called on the Prime Minister, The Dawn reported.

Gilani said that the Pakistan Government was taking all possible measures to ensure safety of the UN premises and personnel in the country.

Meanwhile, Ripert said that the UN's decision to reduce its staff in Pakistan was a temporary measure and that the UN will not leave Pakistan alone at this critical juncture.

He also assured that the Pakistani nationals working in the UN offices will not be laid off and the relocated staff will return to Pakistan as soon as the situation improves.

The UN plans to reduce about 40 percent of its staff in Pakistan by realigning their deployment due to growing security concerns in the wake of a wave of terrorist attacks across the country.

According to reports, the reduction of staff will be done in two phases. In the first phase, all international staff members working on long and short-term projects in sensitive areas will be relocated to projects in safer locations. And, in the second phase, international staff members who cannot be relocated will leave Pakistan. (ANI)