Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Wednesday that Pakistan was facing a “perfect storm” of crises as the country grappled with worsening political, economic and security issues.
Speaking during an interview, Bilawal Bhutto said: “Unfortunately, Pakistan is facing a perfect storm, not only that we have partisanship and political polarization to the extent that political parties Or the political stakeholders are not even in that position. Sit in a room and discuss the issues among ourselves, we are also facing an economic crisis.”
He said that as the country faces a security threat and crisis following the fall of the Afghan government, it is also grappling with the increased frequency of terrorist attacks and the devastation caused by the worst climate disaster in history. Is.
Responding to a question about the ongoing unrest in Pakistan – due to the immediate arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan – the minister said that while the country is dealing with chaos and simultaneous crises, the PTI chief’s It is believed that the law of the country does not apply to him.
A heavy contingent of police arrived at Zaman Park, Khan’s residence in Lahore, on Wednesday morning after Islamabad police failed to arrest him and a standoff between PTI workers and anti-riot forces in and around the party chief’s residence. Fierce clashes took place as a result of which dozens of workers were injured. And policemen have been injured since Tuesday.
“He has resigned from Parliament and fled the system. In this particular instance, it is not a question of whether I want to arrest Mr. Khan […] I would never want my country or any Any politician in the country should go to jail. Political reasons. In Mr. Khan’s case, he is at risk of arrest because of his ego,” the minister said, adding that the former prime minister thinks he is “very important. And will not go to court.”
‘Khan’s decisions are mockery of judicial system’
Foreign Minister Bilawal called Khan’s decisions “a complete mockery of the judicial system in Pakistan, the rule of law, the constitution in Pakistan”.
“We are stuck in a situation where this political chaos is playing out on the streets and diverting attention from the real issues that are affecting everyday Pakistanis,” the foreign minister said.
When asked if the state of democracy in Pakistan was fragile, the politician said, “Absolutely, Pakistan has been under direct military dictatorship for most of our history.”
Bilawal said the forces benefiting from “undemocratic governance in Pakistan” did not like it when political parties came together after the death of his mother and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. “So they supported Mr. Khan and brought him to power. And it has now not only blown up in the face of these individuals, but it has had dire consequences for our country,” he said.
‘Outsized burden on poorest of poor’
Responding to a question on how political instability affects Pakistan’s economy, the minister said: “The agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was made by the previous government, which signed the agreement with the IMF. was violated.
He put Pakistan in a very critical economic situation. Some, like floods and others, which are our own, really should be taken into account in the discussions with the IMF, and I don’t think that’s the case at the moment.”
He added that whether it is Pakistan’s agreements with the IMF or the country’s own internal economic policy, the poorest are disproportionately burdened.
“There is a big burden on the bottom of the pyramid. […] But we need fundamental reforms in how we talk about our economy and to achieve that,” FM Bilawal said. We take decisions locally,” FM Bilawal said.
‘Fog of war’
When the host asked the minister about the relationship between Pakistan and America, especially on terrorism, he said that whatever happened during the war against terrorism and the whole period after it, there is such a fog of war. Which colors everyone’s decision. -Making, everyone’s idea”.
He insisted that Afghanistan is a reality and the world should be serious about this issue.
“I think that based on the facts on the ground, the position and the approach of Pakistan and the US, we see eye to eye on that,” the foreign minister maintained, adding that working together for the two countries It is very important to do and strategize for the future.
“I am working on that with my counterpart, Secretary Blankenship,” he said.
‘Int’l community should engage with Taliban’
Bilawal Bhutto, talking about the return of Taliban to power, said that although Pakistan, being a neighbor of Afghanistan, does not recognize them diplomatically, but still it is forced to face the reality on its border.
“We are advocating not only for ourselves, but also for the international community, to engage with them,” he said.
Speaking about the Taliban’s ban on women’s education, the foreign minister said: “I believe we made a positive start initially, but with women’s education and their right to access education that “Given what happened, it’s becoming incredibly difficult for me or others. Like me, who want to communicate with them, who want to find solutions to the problems facing the people of Afghanistan.”
He said that the decisions being made by Afghanistan’s interim government “are not helping us to help them”, adding that the government’s biggest concern is what is happening in Afghanistan. Even if it happens, Pakistan will be the first to feel the consequences.
Talking about the security situation, Bilawal Bhutto said that the more the economic situation worsens in Afghanistan, the more cannon fodder the terrorist groups have, and the more people they can recruit for their cause. Will be able to.
Reiterating talks with the Taliban, the foreign minister requested the Taliban to “let the girls learn”.
‘Domestic attention, political conversation moved on from climate issue’
Talking about the climate issue facing Pakistan, Bilawal said that the country is still grappling with its consequences, but the issue has moved national attention and political discourse.
Referring to the current political situation in the country, the foreign minister said that Pakistan is being diverted from the climate problem which has affected more than 33 million lives, displaced more than 8 million people and damaged the economy.
Bilawal urged the international community to come together to solve this problem because it is not a problem of only one country.
He said the world needs to work together to come up with the money to deal with the damage and loss caused by climate change.
“I believe this is a huge problem that only the United States can deal with on its own or only China can deal with on its own. This is something that the world has to come together and decide, do we? Are you going to be worried about war? And conflict and politics as usual, or are we going to find a solution to this problem?” he questioned.
We thank the international community for standing with Pakistan in these difficult times – one at COP27 and the other during the Climate Resilient Pakistan Conference in Geneva.
Bilawal Bhutto further said that due to the melting of glaciers, Pakistan will face more floods than rivers. “We will not be able to provide drinking water to the people living in our country,” he said.
