{"id":13608,"date":"2025-09-20T19:20:06","date_gmt":"2025-09-20T14:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/?p=13608"},"modified":"2025-09-20T19:20:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T14:20:07","slug":"bilawal-bhutto-welcomes-pakistan-saudi-defense-pact-urges-greater-international-support-in-flood-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/?p=13608","title":{"rendered":"Bilawal Bhutto Welcomes Pakistan-Saudi Defense Pact, Urges Greater International Support in Flood Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chairman of the Pakistan People\u2019s Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has welcomed the recently signed <strong>Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Strategic Defense Agreement<\/strong>, describing it as a \u201cpositive development\u201d for Pakistan\u2019s security and regional stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking to the media in Karachi, Bilawal Bhutto said the timing of the agreement was particularly significant, coming in the wake of recent skirmishes with India. \u201cThis defense pact with Saudi Arabia is commendable, and we fully support it. I extend congratulations to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his entire team for finalizing such an important deal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Call for International Assistance in Flood Relief<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Responding to a question on the recent floods that have devastated large parts of the country, Bilawal criticized the government for not seeking timely international assistance. He argued that Pakistan should have formally appealed to global institutions, such as the United Nations and other international humanitarian organizations, to help with rescue and rehabilitation efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe people of Pakistan deserved international support in the wake of this disaster. Unfortunately, because the government did not make a formal request, our citizens were deprived of much-needed global aid,\u201d he remarked. Bilawal stressed that in the face of disasters of this magnitude, \u201cproviding ration alone is not enough. You must seek the expertise of organizations that specialize in health, climate change, and disaster management.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He cautioned against politicizing natural disasters, saying, \u201cNo one should exploit a calamity for political point-scoring. Sadly, our opponents never miss an opportunity to play politics. This was one of the worst floods in recent memory, and its effects are still being felt by the people. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, there was enormous loss of life and property, while in Punjab more than 4.7 million people were affected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bilawal further warned that floodwaters were now moving towards Sindh. However, he expressed confidence in the Sindh government\u2019s handling of the situation. \u201cThe provincial administration has managed the crisis well so far, but there are still risks that some local communities may be displaced,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Requests to the Prime Minister<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bilawal revealed that he had personally requested Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to waive electricity bills for flood-hit areas. He also urged the government to expand assistance to affected families under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Karachi\u2019s long-standing water issues, Bilawal highlighted ongoing development initiatives. \u201cWe recently inaugurated the New Hub Canal, and we are working on two major projects to recycle sewage water for industrial use. Addressing Karachi\u2019s water and sanitation challenges remains one of our top priorities,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also mentioned ongoing discussions between the PPP and PML-N regarding projects for Sindh, particularly Karachi. \u201cI reminded the Prime Minister of his commitment to implement development projects at the same pace he promised under the so-called \u2018Shehbaz Speed.\u2019 We expect that he will continue to deliver on those promises,\u201d Bilawal stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Relations with China<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turning to foreign policy, Bilawal praised President Asif Ali Zardari\u2019s recent visit to China. \u201cPresident Zardari toured several provinces of China, including Shanghai, where a number of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed. This continues his legacy, as during his first tenure he also made record visits to China,\u201d Bilawal noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dismissal of Cabinet Reshuffle Rumors<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked about potential changes in the Sindh cabinet, Bilawal dismissed such speculation. \u201cThe media first runs unverified reports, and then we are asked to respond. There is no truth in such stories,\u201d he clarified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Criticism of India\u2019s Politicization of Sports<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bilawal also criticized India for politicizing sporting events, particularly cricket. Referring to the controversy surrounding the Asia Cup 2025, he said: \u201cThis is not the first time India has brought politics into sports. Games should remain non-political, but unfortunately, India has repeatedly used politics to create disputes and controversies around cricket.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Broader Political Outlook<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throughout his remarks, Bilawal emphasized a balanced approach\u2014supporting the government where national interest is involved, such as in the Saudi defense pact, while also holding it accountable on governance and disaster management. He positioned PPP as both a responsible opposition and a stakeholder in ensuring relief for the people of Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The defense pact with Saudi Arabia, according to Bilawal, could mark the beginning of deeper regional security cooperation. Meanwhile, his repeated calls for greater international engagement in Pakistan\u2019s flood recovery efforts highlight his focus on humanitarian priorities alongside political and diplomatic developments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chairman of the Pakistan People\u2019s Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has welcomed the recently signed Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Strategic Defense Agreement, describing it as a \u201cpositive development\u201d for Pakistan\u2019s security and regional stability. Speaking to the media in Karachi, Bilawal Bhutto said the timing of the agreement was particularly significant, coming in the wake of recent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","inline_featured_image":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_3859443944190656_798604363342440":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13608"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13611,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13608\/revisions\/13611"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}