PM Shehbaz meets President Biden, appreciates US flood assistance

NEW YORK: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday met President Joe Biden at his reception for world leaders participating in the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

A picture of the meeting was released by the Prime Minister's Office.

PM Shehbaz's aide, Salman Sufi, said that during the meeting, the prime minister appreciated the flood relief efforts by the US government, the continuous Covid vaccine assistance and the collaboration between the two countries.

PM Shehbaz also thanked the USAID chief who visited Pakistan and expressed his gratitude to the American people and government for the assistance sent for Pakistan.

President Biden expressed his profound sadness at the loss of hundreds of lives due to the disaster and extended his sympathy to the affected families.

He expressed the US' resolve to continue  humanitarian assistance to Pakistan.

The prime minister is in the US to attend the UNGA session where he will speak today to apprise the world about the devastation caused by  climate-change induced cataclysmic floods.

Pakistan has appealed to the international community for support in relief efforts as the country’s economy, already battered by the balance of payments and dwindling forex reserves, has worsened further due to losses incurred by floods.

In his speech to the UNGA on Wednesday, Biden made a fervent appeal  to help Pakistan deal with the devastation and urged the world to stay engaged with the country.

“Much of Pakistan is still underwater, and needs help,” said the US president, adding that families are facing impossible choices, choosing which child to feed and wondering whether they’ll survive.

“This is the human cost of climate change. And it’s growing, not lessening.”

The US president also called for action to address the climate change crisis and announced a $2.9 billion fund to support life-saving humanitarian and food security assistance across the globe for this year alone.