www.thefinancialdaily.com  Aid pledges to date, reach $1bn FO welcomes US ban on TTP ISLAMABAD: Intern-ational response to Pakistan's floods is gradually gaining momentum and so far pledges of one billion dollars have been secured. Briefing newsmen here Thursday Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi visited four GCC countries including  Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar to apprise the leadership of those countries about the relief activities and plans for reconstruction and rehabilitation of flood affected areas. He said that the leadership of these fraternal countries has assured Pakistan of all possible assistance in this hour of trial. Abdul Basit said that a number of other events have also been planned to garner further world support and apprise the international community about the damages caused by the unprecedented floods. He said these include a ministerial meeting in New York on the 19th of this month followed by Friends of Democratic Pakistan forum meeting in Brussels on the 15th of next month particularly focusing on the Pakistan flood situation. To a question, he said that Chinese workers are working in Gilgit-Baltistan and extending assistance in the reopening of Karakorum Highway which has been damaged by recent floods and landslides. When asked about the match fixing scandal of Pakistani cricketers in London, the spokesman said that investigations are still on and that Islamabad has still not received any report from its High Commissioner to Britain in this regard. He, however, said that Pakistan is ready to send its team to join in the investigation process but response from London on this is still awaited. To a question, the spokesman said Pakistan welcomes the US move of designating Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan as a terrorist organisation. About the US troops withdrawal from Iran, Abdul Basit said Pakistan welcomed the development saying this will bring a new turn and inject stability in that country. -Agencies