KARACHI (OCTOBER 2, 2021) – U.S. Chargé d’affaires a.i. Angela P. Aggeler’s visit to Karachi from September 29 to October 1 to strengthen bilateral ties between Pakistan-U.S. (United States) and promote our shared anti-COVID efforts, including the recent U.S. donations of nearly 16 million Pfizer vaccine doses to the people of Pakistan, and the planned donation of nearly 10 million more Pfizer doses in the coming days.
Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah welcomed the Chargé back to Karachi for her second visit. Chargé Aggeler’s discussed opportunities to improve economic opportunities for the people of Sindh with Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and discussed plans for infrastructure development in Karachi. During her meeting with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Chargé Aggeler highlighted the U.S. partnership with Sindh provincial authorities to fight COVID-19 and U.S. support for education in Sindh, including the USAID-funded Sindh Basic Education Program. The Chargé discussed with both officials U.S.-Pakistan efforts to promote regional security.
Chargé Aggeler later exchanged views on Pakistan’s economic outlook during a meeting with State Bank of Pakistan Governor Reza Baqir. To end her trip, Chargé Aggeler met with representatives of U.S. energy company Excelerate to discuss its floating storage regasification unit, the Exquisite, docked at Port Qasim, and the company’s contributions to Pakistan’s energy sector.
One of the highlights of Chargé Aggeler’s visit was the launch of U.S. Consulate Karachi’s “Fizaaon Se Falaah Tak” campaign to encourage Pakistani citizens to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. Chargé Aggeler launched the campaign in partnership with Sindh Minister for Health and Population Welfare Dr. Azra Pechuho, actor Mahira Khan, and singer Shehzad Roy at Karachi’s Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center.
The United States has donated almost 15.8 million life-saving COVID-19 vaccine doses to Pakistan since July, and recently announced a donation of an additional 9.6 million Pfizer doses to be delivered in October. These Pfizer vaccines are part of the 500 million Pfizer doses the United States purchased this summer to deliver to 92 countries worldwide, including Pakistan, to fulfill President Biden’s commitment to provide safe and effective vaccines around the world and supercharge the global fight against the pandemic. At the virtual Global COVID-19 Summit held on the margins of the UN General Assembly in September, President Biden announced that the United States will provide an additional 500 million Pfizer vaccines to low and lower-middle income countries around the globe, with shipments starting in January 2022. This will bring the total number of vaccines donated by the United States around the globe to more than 1.1 billion, providing more free doses worldwide than every other country in the world combined. To learn more about U.S. COVID-19 vaccine donations in Pakistan, visit https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/pakistan/.
