ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday told senior State Department official Derek Chollet that rehabilitation and reconstruction in the wake of raging floods in Pakistan would pose formidable challenges for the South Asian country.
Chollet, a State Department counselor, is in Pakistan to discuss important regional issues and reaffirm Washington’s support for flood-affected people in Pakistan. In his meeting with PM Sharif, the US official expressed his condolences for the havoc wreaked by floods in the country.
Unusually heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan have killed over 1,300 people in the country and demolished thousands of homes. According to the government, around 33 million people have been affected by the floods while growers and exporters warn the country may suffer from a food security crisis in the coming months.
Pakistan’s prime minister thanked Chollet for visiting Pakistan at this critical moment and highlighted that rehabilitation and reconstruction would pose formidable challenges for the country.
“Continued support, solidarity and assistance from the United States, a country with which Pakistan has a long-standing relationship, was crucial in this context,” Sharif was quoted as saying by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The premier said Pakistan was committed to deepening and widening its ties with the US, especially in the areas of security, health, climate change, trade and investment.
Chollet said US would stand by Pakistan “in the wake of this immense challenge, extend vital support, and help affected people rebuild their lives and communities.”
National disaster authorities said 12 deaths in the last 24 hours have carried the death toll from floods in Pakistan since June 14 to 1,355. Seven were children, who make up 481 of the dead.
