WASHINGTON: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari apprised US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the devastation caused by recent floods by monster monsoon in Pakistan during the meeting which was held at the US State Department.
Bilateral called on his US counterpart and the two leaders discussed the relations between the two countries during the meeting.
Blinken promised strong US support for Pakistan as it dries out and rebuilds from the floods, which have submerged one-third of the country, an area the size of the United Kingdom.
“We send a simple message. We are here for Pakistan, just as we were during past natural disasters, looking ahead to rebuild,” Blinken said after talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Blinken also announced $10 million for flood relief assistance. Earlier, the United States has committed $56 million in humanitarian aid and sent 17 planes full of supplies, with Blinken promising to look at longer-term support, as well.
Blinken said Pakistan and the United States “have a shared stake in Afghanistan s future,” including greater freedoms for women and girls, whose rights have again been heavily curtailed by the Taliban.
Speaking on the occasion, Bilawal Bhutto said that President Joe Biden, who signed a landmark domestic climate package last month, also needed to look at “climate justice.”
“It s not only important that you build back better here,” he said, using Biden s campaign slogan.
“The opportunity of this crisis in Pakistan is that we must build back better — greener, more climate-resilient — back home as well,” he said.
“I believe that working together we can do this.”
Pakistan, despite being the fifth most populous country, contributes only about 0.8 percent of greenhouse gas emissions blamed for climate change due to its state of development.
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