Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto while talking to the Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Policy in Washington late on Tuesday said that the decision on the appointment of the new Army Chief will be taken by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in accordance with the Constitution and the law.
Regarding the question regarding the appointment of the next army chief, the foreign minister said that the power to appoint the army chief rests with the Prime Minister of Pakistan and he will decide according to the constitution and law. He further said that all institutions in Pakistan are autonomous.
Talking about the ravages of floods in Pakistan, he said that 33 million people of Pakistan have been affected while 400,000 acres of standing crops have been submerged due to floods.
He urged the United Nations and international financial institutions to come forward for the rehabilitation of Pakistan’s flood-affected people.
He said rich countries should provide US$100 billion a year to less rich countries to help them adapt to climate change and reduce further temperature rises.
He urged the international countries to provide more medicines, tents, mosquito nets and food items for the flood affected areas as diseases have spread in the flood affected areas of Pakistan.
Commenting on US Foreign Minister Antony Blanken’s remarks regarding debt relief from China, Bilawal said that China, his all-time friend, has always helped Pakistan in difficult times. He said that Pakistan’s relations with China are multifaceted.
Islamabad has played the role of a bridge to bring China and America closer. He pointed out that unless the two countries work together, it will be difficult to deal with the ravages of climate change.
“I urged my colleagues to engage China on some key issues of debt relief and restructuring so that Pakistan can emerge from the floods more quickly,” Blanken said.
He also said that Pakistan wants a peaceful Afghanistan as neighboring countries have suffered losses due to war in Afghanistan.
In response to a question, Bilawal Bhutto said that democracy is better than military dictatorship in any form. We believe in democratic traditions. And, we will not support undemocratic measures,” he said.
He said that the democratically elected government believes in freedom of media.
