WASHINGTON, Oct 6(ABC): Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that debt restructuring is not in the talks with any lender at the moment, not even China.
The minister’s comments came during an interview with Nikkei Asia when he was visiting the United States last month.
FM Bilawal said that China is called Pakistan’s “all-weather friend” for a reason; however, debt restructuring is not being considered at the moment, but there have been talks regarding debt deferments.
“Maybe we’ve talked about debt deferments. But we haven’t asked the US or anybody about restructuring,” he said.
The minister also spoke about the investment China has made in Pakistan and that debt is inevitable with a massive scale of development in the country by its northern neighbours. The minister termed it “the way of the world”.
When asked about Beijing observing FM Bilawal’s attempted reset in Washington and whether it will worry the friends up north, the minister said that he is confident with Pakistan’s relations with China and vice versa.
He added that Pakistan has played the role of a bridge between Beijing and Washington in the past and would do so again if need be.
“The Foreign Office played an incredible role [in establishing Chinese-American ties]. Even today, if I see Pakistan or myself playing any role between the two powers, I would hope it would be that of a bridge,” he said.
On floods and economy
Commenting on dealing with the country’s recent flood catastrophe as a foreign minister, Bilawal said that Pakistan has amped conversations with its partners and international institutions for them to ensure reparations.
He said that the country’s biggest challenge before the floods was the economy. So, while the Foreign Office was earlier working rigorously on that, it was now playing the role in ensuring trade relations and addressing the climate matter at hand.
The minister also spoke about establishing cooperation with the US in areas including tech, energy, agriculture, health, and other fields including work on the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) and getting Pakistan off the Financial Action Task Force’s list, while the economic team is working on dealing with the International Monetary Fund.
FM Bilawal’s agenda as a foreign minister
In his interview, the minister listed the top three things on his agenda which include dealing with economic difficulties, prioritising economic engagement in the backdrop of COVID-19, and the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war which has caused economic complications across the world.
“Economics have become front and centre of everyone’s foreign policy,” he said.
Mending ties with the world
The minister also spoke about mending ties with countries with which Pakistan’s relations went strained during PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s tenure.
“It’s taken not only phone calls, but visits and engagements and delivering on the ground to allow for a sort of confidence to rebuild many of our bilateral relations,” he said.
Relations with India under a Hindu supremacist regime
He also spoke about Pakistan’s relations with India emphasising the eastern neighbour’s lack of rational conversation.
“It’s very difficult to have a rational conversation with irrational players and people. We’ve developed the impression that [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi’s India doesn’t like the Muslims of their own country. They don’t treat them particularly well. They’re not treating the Muslims of Kashmir particularly well, either,” FM Bilawal said, adding that the situation leaves Pakistan in a difficult position when dealing with India.