Flood-hit Pak yet to decide on India's aid offer

Brushing aside the United State's suggestion that it should accept India's aid offer for its flood victims, Pakistan on Thursday said it will do what it believes is 'right'.

The remarks came as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani, offering more assistance to handle devastation caused by the deluge, the worst in 80 years.

The Pakistan government is considering India's aid proposal and no decision has been made in this regard, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told reporters in response to a question.

"We appreciate the gesture by India. Their offer has been conveyed to relevant authorities and the matter is under consideration," he said.

To another question about State Department spokesman P J Crowley's remarks that the US expects Pakistan to accept the aid from India, Basit said, "Pakistan is a sovereign country and we will take a decision according to what we believe is the right thing to do."

During his telephonic conversation with Gilani, Singh said in such times of natural disasters, all of South Asia should rise to the occasion and extend every possible help to the people of Pakistan affected by the tragedy.

Last week, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna had called his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi and offered $ 5 million in aid for flood relief work. Nearly one-fifth of Pakistan has been badly hit by the floods.

Over 1,700 people have died and the United Nations says more than 6,50,000 people are living without basic shelter while six million desperately need emergency aid.