WASHINGTON (National Times) – Foreign Minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday said that the appointment of Army chief is sole prerogative of the Prime Minister, Dunya News reported.

Bilawal stated this while giving an interview to the editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine in Washington on Tuesday. He said that all institutions of Pakistan are independent. The PPP chairman said that democracy in any form is better than dictatorship.

Bilawal Bhutto said that Pakistan is facing an apocalyptic crisis in the shape of devastating floods and urged the international community to help with relief efforts.

Bilawal Bhutto said that all the neighboring countries were affected by the Afghan war. The Foreign Minister stressed that peace and stability in Pakistan’s neighborhood was an essential pre-requisite for economic prosperity and social sector development not just for Pakistan but also the wider region.

Bilawal said China has always helped Pakistan in difficult times. The Foreign Minister said Pakistan valued its long-standing relations with the United States. Both sides were focused on strengthening a broad based relationship on the principles of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit that is not viewed through the prism of any other country or relationship.