NEW YORK: On Thursday, US President Biden and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met at a reception for world leaders attending the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
The US president invited PM Shehbaz and other foreign leaders to the reception.
Biden and the prime minister of Pakistan are speaking for the first time. Since becoming president of the nation, Biden has not spoken to either Imran Khan or Shehbaz Sharif, the former prime minister of Pakistan.
Despite being informal, the encounter is notable given that Pakistan was mostly ignored by the US administration throughout Imran’s rule. However, there has been a flurry of interactions between the two nations since the change of leadership.
Earlier, during his speech to the UN General Assembly, Biden argued passionately in favour of providing aid to Pakistan, where floods had left enormous destruction.
In his speech, he committed an additional $2.9 billion in funding to combat global food insecurity, adding to the $6.9 billion previously committed this year by the US government.
A key advisor to the US secretary of state visited Pakistan earlier this month, and the Biden administration also gave the go-ahead for Pakistan to purchase $450 million worth of F-16 equipment.
