WEB DESK
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged the international community to help Pakistan cope with flood devastation and come up with a plan to deal with climate change.
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The prime minister made the appeal addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan’s historic city of Samarkand on Friday. He also urged the world to to unfreeze Afghanistan’s billion of dollars held in the western banks, saying that peace in Afghanistan would ensure peace in Pakistan.
“It would be a big mistake to ignore Afghanistan at this time!” Shehbaz emphasized while adding that countries must come together to realize infrastructure, economic and social projects in the war-ravaged country. Meanwhile, he also asked the Afghan leaders to ensure ‘inclusivity’ and gender parity in matters of governance.
The premier while highlighting the devastation incurred by floods stated that millions of people were displaced, 1,400 killed including 400 children, and a million houses were either partially or completely damaged.
“I have never seen this kind of terrible devastation,” PM Shehbaz outlined while speaking to the heads of SCO member countries. “It [floods] is a catastrophe of proportions unknown to the people of Pakistan and of course by extension to the entire world.”
He thanked the nations who came forward to help Pakistan restore life after the catastrophic floods. The premier sketched the situation of deluge-affected masses before the learned audience to inculcate awareness about the huge humanitarian crisis unfolding in Pakistan.
Outlining the plight of the flood victims, he maintained that the flood-affected communities now face the threat of waterborne diseases, absent food security, damaged infrastructure, and lack of holistic assistance due to the scale of the disaster.
“The economic losses run into billions,” he added while stating that the quantum is immeasurable at the moment. The premier also brought the attention of the leaders to the disaster-inducing climate change and said the scope of calamities may expand to other countries, therefore the issue requires urgent attention.
“We must devise a plan for the future generations, “PM Shehbaz requested the SCO leaders regarding climate change.”
The PM joined SCO leaders at the Heads of State meeting in Uzbekistan.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also attended the session.
