US announces additional $10m in aid for flood-affectees

Bilawal, US Secretary Blinken meet at ceremony celebrating 75 years of Pak-US ties

ISLAMABAD:

The United States (US) on Tuesday announced $10 million in aid for Pakistan’s flood relief efforts in addition to the already announced assistance of $56.1 million after Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Washington D.C.

According to the Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson, FM Bilawal apprised Blinken about “the devastation caused by the cataclysmic floods with more than 33 million people displaced and a huge loss of lives and livelihoods”.

The FM also highlighted the relief efforts of the government and people of Pakistan and thanked the US government for its assistance.

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“No country could deal with a crisis of this proportion on its own,” said Bilawal emphasising that Pakistan being one of the lowest emitters was ironically one of the most severely impacted by climate change.

The foreign minister said that Pakistan was seeking “climate justice” and “looked towards its partners to assist us in recovering from this climate-induced calamity”.

He also added that Pakistan was committed to building back better, greener, and climate-resilient infrastructure in areas such as irrigation, communication, energy, agri-technology, and health; however, he held that “immediate action is required to help developing countries effectively face the climate crisis”.

Underscoring the historic and growing importance of the Pakistan-US relationship in promoting peace, security, and economic prosperity in the region, he reaffirmed Pakistan’s “commitment to deepening and broadening its ties with the US”, particularly in the areas of trade and investment and underlined that both countries were “celebrating 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in a befitting manner and were charting a promising and mutually-beneficial roadmap for their future generations”.

Expressing his condolences and solidarity with Pakistan over “the loss of precious lives”, Secretary Blinken reaffirmed the US commitment to continue cooperating with Pakistan in meeting the challenges of rehabilitation and reconstruction.

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He also maintained that, given Pakistan’s enormous potential, US private sector would like to invest in Pakistan, including, in the energy sector.

The foreign minister expressed the need to assist Afghanistan in averting the humanitarian crisis and underlined that Pakistan would continue to work with the international community to achieve peace, development, and stability in Afghanistan. Secretary Blinken also thanked Pakistan for its support during the Afghan evacuation process.

On the sidelines of a ceremony to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and the U.S., at the State Department, Secretary Blinken announced an additional $10 million for the flood victims.

While national and international sources are trying to help people affected by floods to at least get basic food and shelter, what the future holds is still very alarming as many districts are still submerged in flood water. The stagnant water has become a hub for several diseases such as malaria, dengue, gastroenteritis, eczema, and several other skin diseases.

Moreover, where the magnitude of the loss from the floods is huge, the relief efforts don’t quite match the enormity of the crisis at hand.