NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said late on Monday he had discussed with his Pakistani counterpart what he called managing a responsible relationship with neighbouring India.
Blinken’s comments came after India’s defence and foreign ministers opposed a US decision to provide a support package of about $450 million for Pakistan’s fleet of US-made F-16 fighter jets.
“In our discussions today, we talked about the importance of managing a responsible relationship with India,” Blinken said after meeting Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, without elaborating.
Asked about the F-16 deal, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that the United States had independent relations with India and Pakistan.
“The relationship we have with India stands on its own; the relationship we have with Pakistan stands on its own,” Price told a news conference. “We also want to do everything we can to see to it that these neighbours have relations with one another that are as constructive as can be possible.”
Nuclear-armed Pakistan and India have fought three wars, mainly over the disputed Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir.
In 2019, they engaged in an aerial battle during which Pakistan shot down at least one MiG-21 fighter of India.
People-to-people contact between the countries, formed by a split of British India in 1947, virtually ended after the 2019 clashes.
FOOD SECURITY ASSISTANCEÂ
Seperately, Blinken also announced another $10 million in food security assistance for Pakistan.
He recalled a third of the country remains underwater after catastrophic storms, which he said impacted 33 million people.
Farmers’ entire harvests have been submerged, people’s homes have been washed away, and schools have been ravaged, said the top diplomat.
“That has an immediate impact. But unless we’re able together to deal with the challenge, it will have a long-term impact as well,” said Blinken.
The new sum is on top of the $56 million in humanitarian assistance provided in the immediate aftermath of the flooding.
Blinken said the US sent nearly 17 planes full of food supplies and materials to build shelters, tents and tarps.
“And we send a simple message. We are here for Pakistan, just as we’ve been during past natural disasters,” he added.
According to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), nearly 1,600 people have been killed due to flood-related incidents across the country.
Some 803,400 homes have been completely destroyed, while over 1.21 million houses are partially damaged.
The floods have displaced hundreds of thousands of people, who are living in tents.
CLIMATE JUSTICE
Meanwhile, according to the Foreign Office, Zardari, in addition to apprising Blinken about the losses caused by the floods, also highlighted the relief efforts of the government and people of Pakistan and thanked Washington for its assistance.
He said no country could deal with a crisis of such nightmarish proportions on its own. He emphasised that Pakistan being one of the lowest emitters of carbon was ironically one of the most 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 said Pakistan was committed to building back better, greener and climate-resilient infrastructure in areas such as irrigation, communication, energy, agri-technology, and health. Immediate action is required to help developing countries effectively face the climate crisis.
Zardari underscored 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 the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and were charting a promising and mutually-beneficial roadmap for their future generations.
— With input from Reuters, Anadolu Agency
