File photo courtesy PPP Media Cell
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday rubbished the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s demands for early elections, stressing that the top priority right now is to aid flood victims and not indulge in politics.
“At this critical time, the demand for early elections is like playing with the lives of flood victims,” he told a press conference in Washington. “The top priority is to aid flood victims; politics is a distant second,” he said. “Nothing that we do for flood evacuees is adequate,” he added.
Noting that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had placed the issue of floods atop the agenda of the 77th session of the U.N. General Assembly, he thanked the global community for the help offered to Pakistan for flood victims. “We have not yet reached the stage of reconstruction and rebuilding. We are still in the phase of relief and rescue,” he said, noting the country was facing a massive food shortage due to the crops destroyed by floods.
Emphasizing that the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by the Ukraine war, had triggered price hikes globally, he said the incumbent government was working to improve the national economy but had just revived an agreement with the International Monetary Fund when it was left reeling by the floods.
“Besides floods, our agenda [in the U.S.] was to improve relations with Washington,” he said. “The visit to the U.S. was successful,” he said, adding both countries were expected to make further progress in trade, agriculture, health and other sectors.
To a question, he said, India and Pakistan should work together on climate change, adding the entire world would suffer if there is no multilateral agreement on the issue. The 10 countries most at risk of climate change, he said, would have to raise their voices together to evolve solutions to the climate change problem.
To another question, Bhutto-Zardari said there had been significant improvements in the country’s foreign engagement during the six months of the incumbent government. “You must witness a clear difference between today’s Pakistan and that of six months ago,” he said, criticizing PTI Chairman Imran Khan for damaging the country’s foreign policy and economy. However, he said, Pakistan was now back on the right track.
The foreign minister also stressed the freezing of Afghanistan’s assets was a “dangerous” precedent, adding it would trigger further unrest and the world needed to act responsibly.
Separately, addressing an event at the U.S. Institute of Peace, he urged the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan to use their influence on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan to bring peace and stability in the region. “Following the fall of Kabul, won’t be wrong to say that the TTP has found a sanctuary in Afghanistan. We have had a ceasefire, which was good. Hopefully, Afghan Taliban will use their influence on TTP so that the group accepts the Constitution of Pakistan and disarm,” he said.