QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo met the US ambassador to Pakistan on Wednesday and discussed several issues ranging from rehabilitating the flood-hit people, climate change, law and order and investment.

Mr Bizenjo told Ambassador Donald Blome, who arrived in Quetta on Wednesday, that Balochistan was Pakistan’s future and the government was taking all possible steps for its development.

He said the law and order situation had improved a lot and the province was not facing severe threats regarding the security of highways and development projects.

Referring to the climate change issue, the chief minister said Pakistan and Balochistan were highly vulnerable to environmental changes. He said recent monsoon rains and heavy floods inflicted huge human and financial losses on Balochistan and reconstruction and rehabilitation were a big challenge for the government.

Blome launches programme to provide $350,000 of seed funding to women entrepreneurs

Ambassador Blome spent a busy day in Quetta, as he also met local partners working to advance climate change adaptation, representatives of higher education institutions, leaders of local NGOs, and Afghan refugees.

He discussed US efforts to combat the effects of climate change through a Green Alliance with diverse partners in Pakistan and underscored the strong cooperation between the United States and Pakistan on promoting economic development through higher education and women’s empowerment.

He participated in a community tree planting drive that will become part of a larger project to develop an urban forest in Quetta. The project, led by youth activists, aims to advance climate change adaptation, raise climate risk awareness, and increase community resilience to climate change.

At the event, the ambassador highlighted that the US government had provided more than $97 million in flood-related assistance to Pakistan this year, including to individuals and communities in need in Balochistan.

In remarks at the launch event of “Entrepowered—Women Can Do”, a programme that will provide $350,000 of seed funding to women entrepreneurs in Balochistan, Ambassador Blome said, “The United States believes that empowering women is a strategic investment in the future for both private citizens and the global economy. By working together on projects like Entrepowered, we can advance women’s equality in the business sector and unleash a vast potential that will help bring prosperity to Quetta and Balochistan.”

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2022