US ready to help Pakistan deal with national grid collapse

The United States has offered assistance to Pakistan for tackling the ongoing countrywide electricity breakdown, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Tuesday.

Addressing a news briefing in Washington on Monday,  State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US had assisted Pakistan in handling a raft of challenges in the past. “We are prepared to do so in this case also,” he added.

Replying to another question, Ned Price said Washington has long called for regional stability in South Asia but any dialogue between Pakistan and India is a matter for those two countries.

Here are the excerpts of Ned Price’s new briefing regarding Pakistan:

QUESTION: There is a massive national grid collapse inside Pakistan. The federal minister has said that even the emergency services are being shut down, like hospitals. I know US has played a big role in Pakistan’s power electricity generation. Is US sending someone over there to look into it for a long-term solution to the collapse of the power grids?

MR PRICE: Of course, I’ve seen what has transpired in Pakistan. Our thoughts are with all those who’ve been affected by the outages. The United States of course, as you mentioned, has assisted our Pakistani partners across any number of challenges. We are prepared to do so in this case if there is something that we’re able to provide. But I’m not aware of any particular requests.

QUESTION: Sir, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for peace talks with India. He says that he’s ready to talk about all the burning issues, including Kashmir, but India rejected that offer. They say this is not, like, the right time to talk about these issues. What are your comments on that? Because you always talk about the peace and stability in the region.

MR PRICE: We have – you’re right, we’ve long called for regional stability in South Asia. That’s certainly what we want to see. We want to see it advanced. When it comes to our partnership – our partnerships with India and Pakistan, these are relationships that stand on their own. We do not see these relationships as zero-sum. They stand on their own. We have long called for regional stability in South Asia, but the pace, the scope, the character of any dialogue between India and Pakistan is a matter for those two countries, India and Pakistan.

QUESTION: How the US will react to press freedom in Pakistan?

MR PRICE: We have discussed it many times, and each time you’ve heard of the emphasis we place on press freedom around the world. Free press and informed citizenry are key for any nation and its democratic identity, its democratic future, the democratic aspirations of its own people. We routinely raise our concerns about press freedom to governments, to stakeholders all around the world. When it comes to this particular case, would need to refer you to the Government of Pakistan.