• Antony Blinken urges Pakistan to ask for debt relief from its close ally China.
• Floods have submerged one-third of Pakistan, an area the size of the UK.
• The U.S. has pledged $56 million in humanitarian aid and sent 17 planes loaded with supplies.

As devastating floods ravage the South Asian nation, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Pakistan on Monday to request debt relief from its close ally China.

Blinken pledged strong US help for Pakistan as it recovers from the floods that drowned one-third of the country, an area equivalent to the size of the United Kingdom.

“We send a simple message. We are here for Pakistan, just as we were during past natural disasters, looking ahead to rebuild,” Blinken stated after meeting with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Washington.

Blinken added, “I also urged our colleagues to engage China on some of the important issues of debt relief and restructuring so that Pakistan can more quickly recover from the floods.”

China is a crucial economic and political ally of Pakistan, pushing on with a $54 billion “economic corridor” that will construct infrastructure and provide Beijing with access to the Indian Ocean, despite separatist threats on Chinese businesses.

Washington, whose Cold War partnership with Islamabad has deteriorated, has frequently asserted that China will reap the benefits while Pakistan’s debt burden will be unsustainable.

Pakistan has frequently disregarded the warnings issued by the United States, which views China as its principal global competitor.

More than seven million people have been displaced as a result of the floods in Pakistan, and it is feared that climate change could increase the frequency of such catastrophic events.

The United States has pledged $56 million in humanitarian relief and sent 17 planes loaded with supplies, promising long-term assistance.

Bhutto Zardari stated that President Joe Biden, who last month approved a landmark domestic climate bill, must also consider “climate justice.”

“It’s not only important that you ‘build back better’ here,” he remarked, referencing Biden’s campaign slogan.

“The opportunity of this crisis in Pakistan is that we must build back better — greener, more climate-resilient — back home as well,” he remarked.

“I believe that working together we can do this.”

Pakistan, despite being the fifth most populous nation, contributes just around 0.8% of the greenhouse gas emissions attributed to climate change, despite being the fifth most populous nation.

Lingering suspicion on Afghanistan

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During the twenty-year war in Afghanistan, the US relationship with Pakistan deteriorated drastically.

Under intense pressure, Pakistan gave vital logistical access, but US officials believe Islamabad’s formidable military and intelligence infrastructure never abandoned the Taliban, who returned to power after US soldiers withdrew from Afghanistan last year.

“We have had our differences — that’s no secret,” Blinken stated.

However, he stated both Pakistan and the United States “have an interest in Afghanistan’s future,” which includes increased freedoms for women and girls, whose rights have been severely constrained by the Taliban in accordance with their strict interpretation of Islam.

Antony Blinken advised Pakistan to protect freedom of religion and expression, which has been a longstanding concern of the United States.

Allegations of blasphemy have resulted in numerous attacks against religious minorities and mob violence in Pakistan.

The five-month-old government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been criticized for media restrictions since he replaced Imran Khan, who lost a vote of no confidence in parliament after clashing with the military.

Blinken urged Pakistan to establish a “responsible relationship” with India.

India launched airstrikes in February 2019 in retaliation to a deadly attack blamed on militants backed by Pakistan, causing a stalemate in the dialogue between the old adversaries.

Blinken hosted a dinner for India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, with whom he will hold talks on Tuesday, immediately after visiting Bhutto Zardari.

The foreign ministers of South Asia were not scheduled to meet in Washington.

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