Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s messageExpressing condolences to the flood victims in Pakistan, in a tweet on Monday evening, is a welcome gesture, especially after weeks of silence on what has been one of the Worst natural disasters in the neighborhood in recent times, More than 1,100 people have been killed, and more than 33 million have been affected, as officials say a third of the country is under water, and damage to homes, roads and infrastructure is estimated at about $10 billion. Is. Floods have also affected standing crops, and as the water recedes, there is an increased risk of disease as well as food shortages. In addition, the concern that climate change has caused devastating floods is of concern throughout South Asia, one of the regions of the world most vulnerable to global warming. On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched a global appeal for aid, which he said has been hit by a “monsoon on steroids”, indicating unnatural climate patterns. Countries such as the UK, US, China, UAE, Qatar and Turkey have already sent aid to Pakistan, and many others have pledged help, while the IMF on Tuesday announced a bailout tranche of $1.1 billion. The country which is already facing economic crisis. Noting that the crisis will only deepen at this point, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Mifta Ismail also said on Monday that he may propose lifting the trade embargo imposed on India after the Jammu and Kashmir reorganization in 2019, so that Indian vegetables and import of essential commodities. So far, Islamabad has made exceptions only for drug imports from India and India’s humanitarian aid to Afghanistan during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the deteriorating state of India-Pakistan relations, both New Delhi and Islamabad should set aside their domestic views, and take advantage of the moment to help those trapped in the floods as much as possible. If India fails to correctly view the suffering on its land border with Pakistan, India cannot take pride in being a “first responder” in the neighborhood – as has been the case for Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Afghanistan. It would be short-sighted and short-sighted for Pakistan to deny the opportunity to lift the trade embargo with India and to give up a source of cheap supplies in times of such calamity. And it would be both sad and ridiculous if the enmity between the two countries would not allow them to work together at such a time, even if their governments allow their cricket teams to play each other for financial reasons. Significantly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif are scheduled to visit Uzbekistan in September for the SCO summit. A more permanent dialogue between the two countries has been suspended for nearly a decade over the issue of terrorism, but leaders should take time to discuss ways to mitigate the disaster.