Top Pakistan diplomat urges patience with flood aid, Taliban

Washington – Pakistani foreign minister says international community should work together Taliban in control of Afghanistanrather than turn against them when it comes to combating foreign extremist groups and the country’s economic and humanitarian crises, many U.S. officials have proven that the Taliban are unworthy of such cooperation. saying.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan’s top diplomat, told The Associated Press on the final day of his visit to the United Nations General Assembly in New York and Washington. more world attention To an unprecedented flood that submerged a third of his country.

Relentless monsoon rains, which scientists say are exacerbated by climate change, have killed more than 1,000 people in Pakistan, caused tens of billions of dollars in damage, and destroyed much of the country. Staple food and commercial crops.

Pakistan is the hardest hit of many countries climate change We are becoming increasingly outspoken in seeking more financial aid from richer countries. Past and current economic and industrial booms in China, the United States, and other major economies are the largest contributors to climate change, caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels.

Some 30 million people in Pakistan reportedly displaced by the floods “are paying a real price in terms of their livelihoods and livelihoods for the industrialization of other countries,” said Zardari. said.

“Justice is for us to work together globally and not be left alone to deal with the consequences of this tragedy,” he said.

Zardari is the son of a former Pakistani prime minister and a former president. In April he took office as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

He met with Secretary of State Anthony Brinken on Monday.On the same day, the Biden administration announced An additional $10 million in food aid to Pakistan, In addition to more than $56 million in flood relief and humanitarian assistance this year,

But more broadly, the Biden administration and governments of other major economies pledged $1,000 a year to help less-wealthy countries survive drought, sea level rise, other climate change disasters and other disasters. It provides only a fraction of the billion dollars in aid. Switch to cleaner energy.

“We expect the United States to be one of the major players in that,” Zardari said, citing the UN’s promise that developed countries could cancel their existing debt in the form of climate change support. He also expressed his support for the initial proposal.

“We haven’t seen it yet, which translates this vision into practicality in the field,” he said.

Speaking to the Associated Press at the Pakistani embassy on Tuesday, Zardari also made controversial recommendations for the United States to work more directly with the Taliban in Afghanistan. have shared varying amounts of cooperation against violent armed groups that are Afghanistan for decades. The United States has long been at odds with many Pakistani officials over their sympathetic treatment and support for the Taliban.

No country recognizes the Taliban, a group sanctioned as a terrorist organization that seized power by military force in August 2021 as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. The United States and the rest of the international community are committed to disposing of billions of dollars in frozen Afghan Central Bank funds, initiating financial reforms and minimizing Taliban involvement to provide much-needed aid to ordinary Afghans. I have tried to provide to

“At the risk of hurting someone’s feelings, I think it’s important to mention that these funds are not Taliban funds, nor are they American people’s funds.These belong to the people of Afghanistan.” said Zardari.

Economic isolation and deprivation like Afghanistan has experienced because the Taliban takeover only fosters authoritarianism and extremism, he said. Instead, it will work through existing institutions that are now in Taliban hands.

Asked if that meant the US would need to turn its nose down and deal with Afghan dominance, Zardari said “mostly.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. discovery that al-Qaeda’s global leader Ayman al-Zawahiri had taken refuge in the heart of the Afghan capital since the Taliban’s return to power prompted U.S. leaders to denounce the Taliban. It accused officials of collusion. The US killed Zawahiri in a drone strike in July.

The Taliban, as a government, did not yet have the time or ability to fight the extremist groups, Zardari said. “In order for them to demonstrate their willingness to fight terrorist organizations, we need to help them build the capacity to do so,” he said.