Screengrab of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s press conference
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday reiterated calls for national unity to tackle the devastation caused by this year’s floods, stressing it was time to put politics aside until the millions of people still awaiting assistance had been helped.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi alongside Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, he lamented that “someone”—a likely reference to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan, who he did not name—was organizing political rallies and seeking to return to power amid the crisis. “[There] cannot be two Pakistans, where one part is under water while the other has someone playing politics,” he emphasized, noting that this was diverting much-needed attention from flood relief.
Sharing the latest statistics about the impact of the floods—nearly 1,700 confirmed casualties; over 33 million people affected, with half of them children—the Pakistan Peoples Party chairman said the floods had damaged Pakistan’s economy far more than the COVID-19 pandemic. This could only be tackled, he said, through national unity. “We have to unite, prioritize humanity and set politics aside,” he said, warning that even after the rescue phase of the flooded areas had been completed, the government faced a second catastrophe in the form of a looming health crisis and food insecurity due to the millions of acres of crops that had been destroyed.
Clarifying that the government was still working on a definitive damage needs assessment—which would be completed once the waters had receded—Bhutto-Zardari said the current estimate of $30 billion in damages was just a preliminary approximation, echoing comments from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who had earlier warned the end figure could be much higher.
Urging people to help as much as they could, the foreign minister said the government needed everyone to help it rehabilitate flood victims. “We have faced every hardship and emerged more powerful than ever. We will do the same this time as well by the will of Allah,” he said, referencing the 2010 floods, which he said had been tackled collectively without politicking. “This is the time to hit the pause button [on politics] and devote our energies to helping flood victims,” he said, adding that no matter what they did, it all felt insufficient in the face of the enormity of the devastation.
Flood relief
The PPP chairman said the government was doing its utmost to provide tents, trampolines, mosquito nets and rations to flood-hit communities, adding government bodies, NGOs, international organizations and civil society organizations were all working together to ensure food stocks for affected people.
He also thanked United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres for visiting Pakistan during its time of crisis and highlighting the devastation at the biggest international forum during the General Assembly. Many countries, he said, had pledged to continue assistance in future to help the country recover. The next phase after the rescue efforts, he said, was reconstruction and rehabilitation.
In this regard, said Bhutto-Zardari, the government would have to improve infrastructure to be able to withstand future extreme weather events. However, he cautioned, the government did not have the necessary resources for this. “The Sindh government has consulted with the World Bank for assistance for reconstruction through interest-free loans,” he said.
Stressing that it was the global community’s responsibility to help Pakistan, the foreign minister criticized the developed world for triggering the climate crisis through their greenhouse gas emissions. The people of Pakistan, he said, were now paying for the industrialization of these countries with their lives and livelihoods. “We don’t seek alms but justice from the world,” he stressed.
Losses
On the agricultural sector, Bhutto-Zardari said the government would make every possible effort to help farmers plant their next crop in time for the harvest. “We will be in a position to plant crops by the end of November,” he said.
Later, during the question-and-answer portion of his press conference, the foreign minister said it was a “joke” for any political party to call for elections at this time. “I can ask my workers to contest [local government] elections but we have to help flood victims because they are the first priority,” he said, adding that the Sindh government could similarly not be expected to provide police forces for security of polling stations, as they were needed in flood-hit areas.
However, he stressed, this did not mean the PPP was seeking a delay in the scheduled polls. “It will now be our demand that polls should be held on time instead of holding them early,” he said, adding this would help the provincial government and federal administration to effectively continue their flood relief activities.
To another question, Bhutto-Zardari dismissed the impression that some countries were unwilling to help Pakistan during the floods. “We did not feel at any point that no one wants to help us. We are thankful that everyone is offering us assistance,” he said.