ISLAMABAD: Amidst much outcry over the recent visit of US Ambassador in Pakistan Donald Blome to Gilgit and Hunza vallies, the American embassy cleared that the purpose of the trip was to explore opportunities for strengthening the region’s climate resilience.

The embassy spokesman, Jonathan Lalley, told Dawn that all publications, including the New York Times, had recently highlighted that Pakistan was one of the world’s most vulnerable countries when it came to climate change.

“Gilgit and Hunza Valley are unique mountain and glacial ecosystems that feed the Indus River Valley. The region is particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts,” he said, making it clear that Ambassador Blome’s trips were coordinated closely with the Pakistani government.

About the recent meeting of the US ambassador with Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, which received much criticism, the spokesman said he did not have anything new to add on the meeting.

“As the Foreign Office spokesperson acknowledged, our relationship with Pakistan is broad and deep, and the ambassador meets routinely with a wide array of contacts given the wide-ranging areas of mutual interest between our countries. As we have said many times, Pakistan’s electoral process is being overseen and administered by Pakistani institutions. Our interest is in the democratic process. We want to see elections that are free and fair and conducted in accordance with Pakistan’s laws and Constitution,” Mr Lalley said.

During the question hour in the GB Assembly on Friday, opposition leader Kazim Mesum said: “The mysterious activities of the US ambassador in the region has raised questions”, adding that the GB government was not aware of the visit.

“There is a set procedure for any country’s ambassador to visit the region,” he said, terming Mr Blome’s arrival in Gilgit after visiting Gwadar “suspicious”.

Days before his trip to Gilgit-Baltistan, Mr Blome had visited the port city where China is executing infrastructure projects under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“The ambassador visited areas from which the CPEC route will pass,” Mr Mesum said, adding that, “there are many under-construction mega projects in GB including Diamer Bhasha Dam while threats of insurgency from Afghanistan and local security issues also existed.”

On the other hand, former Senate chairman and PPP leader Mian Raza Rabbani, in a statement on Monday, said the manner in which diplomats were visiting strategic areas and commenting on the internal affairs of the country led one to believe that a new form of the East India Company had invaded Pakistan. He said Pakistan had new colonial masters in the shape of international financial institutions.

“The financial imperialist, first got their conditionalities accepted in the Agreement, which comprised Pakistan’s financial sovereignty. Now they treat Pakistan as part of the Raj and have started to dictate the political and constitutional arrangements,” he said.

“Today the World Bank has suggested that there should be a ‘National Council of Ministers’. It has also said that the federal cabinet and ECC decisions are no longer binding,” Mr Rabbani said, adding that the World Bank says that Council of Common Interest (CCI) and the National Economic Council (NEC) should be made more effective.

“This is open and blatant interference in the governance of an independent state. A few days back, the IMF was suggesting which classes should be included and which should not be included in the tax net,” the PPP leader said.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023