Dawn.com Published October 6, 2022
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses the nation in this file photo.
— DawnNewsTV
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said Pakistan should not be forced to go to rich polluting nations with “a begging bowl” in the aftermath of the catastrophic flooding which has affected nearly a third of the country.
Latest data and estimates show nearly 1,700 people have been killed in the floods and their aftermath caused by heavy monsoon rains and melting glaciers.
Thousands more have been displaced and the United Nations has sounded the alarm on the rise of water-borne diseases in the country, particularly among the flood-hit population.
The government estimates the cost of the damage at $30 billion, and both the government and UN have blamed the catastrophe on climate change.
Read: Villagers in flood-hit Khairpur surviving on a sliver of land
In an interview published in The Guardian on Thursday, PM Shehbaz said he would be seeking “climate justice” from the international community.
He went on to say that Pakistan was facing an unprecedented crisis of health, food security and internal displacement after the “apocalyptical” monsoon rainfall.
With Pakistan contributing marginally to global carbon emissions, the premier said it was the “responsibility of the developed countries, who caused these emissions, to stand by us”.
“I’ve never seen this kind of devastation, inundation and suffering of our people in my lifetime. Millions have been displaced, they have become climate refugees within their own country.”
PM Shehbaz said that while the global community had pledged funds and aid, it was “not enough”.
“The enormity of this climate-induced catastrophe is beyond our fiscal means,” he told the publication. “The gap between our needs and what is available is too wide and it is widening by the day.”
However, the premier made it clear that he was talking about “climate justice”.
“We are not blaming anybody, we’re not casting allegations, what we are we saying is this is not of our making but we have become a victim. Should I be asked to cast my appeal into a begging bowl? That is double jeopardy. That’s unjust, unfair.”
Commenting on the support from world leaders, PM Shehbaz said that while he was grateful for the “very touching words and statements”, it was “all very fine but more important is practical demonstration of these statements into action”.
“While they are doing a very good job, and we appreciate it, this is not enough. They must come forward with a far better and a far bigger plan to rescue us and rehabilitate us and put us back on our footing.”
He also pointed out the unfulfilled promise made by rich nations over a decade ago to commit $100bn a year to a climate fund for developing nations at the forefront of the climate crisis.
“Where’s that money? It’s high time that we question and remind these countries to fulfil their commitments and pledges they have made.”
“We’re not asking about reparations,” he went on to say. “No, we’re not. I don’t think talk of reparations is proper at this point in time. What I am saying is that they should take notice of the situation, take responsibility and act speedily before it’s too late, before the damage becomes irreparable — not just for Pakistan, but for the world.”
Earlier this week, the UN revised up its humanitarian appeal for Pakistan five-fold, to $816 million from $160m, as a surge of water-borne diseases and fear of growing hunger posed new dangers after weeks of unprecedented flooding.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), said on Tuesday Pakistan was “on the verge of a public health disaster”.
“The water has stopped rising, but the danger has not, we are on the verge of a public health disaster. Many more lives than were lost in the floods could be lost in the coming weeks if we don’t mobilise greater support for Pakistan,” he said.
Pakistan: Bilawal Bhutto calls for climate justice, rejects Western pressure over Ukraine
In a DW interview, Pakistan's foreign minister says people in his country are paying the price for the industrialization of richer nations. He stressed Islamabad is determined to stay neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Pakistan has witnessed catastrophic flooding over the past few weeks that have affected more than 33 million people — some 15% of the nation's population — and submerged a third of the country.
The natural disaster has killed over 1,500 people and caused damage worth billions of dollars, compounding the woes of an economy already beset by a raft of problems, ranging from a heavy debt burden and ballooning current account deficit to a tumbling currency and skyrocketing inflation, particularly food prices.
Eight million people still remain displaced, and the World Bank said that the loss of jobs, livestock, harvests and houses as well as the spread of disease, among other problems, threaten to throw millions of people into poverty.
Scientists have said the recent devastating flooding in Pakistan was made worse by global warming caused by greenhouse-gas emissions, which is leading to some kinds of extreme weather becoming more frequent and intense.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is currently visiting Berlin, where he held talks with German authorities to gather support for his country's efforts to help flood victims and overcome a worsening economic crisis.
On Friday, Bhutto-Zardari met with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock. In a joint press conference after the meeting, he described the floods in his country as a crisis of "biblical proportions." The German foreign minister told him that Pakistan can count on German solidarity, offering financial support worth €60 million.
"I'm grateful to Foreign Minister Baerbock for her hospitality," Bhutto-Zardari told DW's Richard Walker. "Going forward, we want to work with our partners, including our friends in Germany, on figuring out ways to finance the reconstruction and rehabilitation as a result of the devastation caused by the floods," he added.
'Not a charity'
Some Pakistani government officials, however, have slammed the international response to the climate catastrophe in Pakistan as "inadequate."
But Western countries are currently busy dealing with rising tensions with Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February.
Pakistan faces food shortages after flooding
As a result of the war in Ukraine, European countries are facing an energy crisis and record inflation. The German government recently announced that it wanted to spend €200 billion on trying to keep energy prices low in the country.
The Pakistani foreign minister said that he understands the difficulties Europe is facing right now. "We've just faced a pandemic that has affected the economies of countries everywhere. We've also seen the devastation in Ukraine and the sanctions that come along with it. That has resulted in difficulties for the people of Germany, just as it's resulted in difficulties for the people of Pakistan," he said.
Bhutto-Zardari, however, pointed out that helping Pakistan deal with the climate crisis is not a "charity" from Western nations.
"It's a question of justice that a country that produces 0.8% of the global carbon footprint is the eighth most climate stressed country on the planet. Some 33 million people are paying with their lives and their livelihoods for the industrialization of richer countries," he said, underlining that "this is a global problem demanding global actions."
"We hope that it also has global solutions despite the incredible difficulties that everybody is facing at this time," the minister added.
Ukraine-Russia conflict: Islamabad refuses to take sides
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was slammed by the West for visiting Moscow at the time when Russian forces began their invasion of Ukraine. Later, Khan accused the US of being involved in a "conspiracy" to oust him from power.
The new government headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, however, does not have a much different position on the Ukraine crisis, with Islamabad trying its best to remain neutral.
Pakistan abstained on a UN General Assembly resolution in March condemning Russia's Ukraine war and is likely to do the same when the body votes on a new draft resolution next week.
"We have a principled position to abstain and not be drawn into a new conflict," Bhutto-Zardari said. "We had the fall of Kabul just a year ago, and that was for us one conflict after another, decades after decades, as we've confronted war and devastation in our neighborhood," he added.
Bhutto-Zardari said that Pakistan is still facing the consequences of the Taliban's seizure of power in Afghanistan, adding that NATO ended the war "without consulting us or without significant engagement with the previous civilian government in Afghanistan."
"We have longstanding ties with Ukraine. We used to import wheat from Ukraine. We still believe that dialogue and diplomacy is absolutely necessary for us to resolve this conflict," he said.
DENGUE OUTBREAK COMPOUNDS MISERY OF PAKISTAN FLOODS
Flood aftermath
Heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan have submerged large parts of the country, killing more than 1,500 people. Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the floods have been left homeless. Residents now face disease outbreaks, particularly the mosquito-borne dengue virus.
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Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
In a DW interview, Pakistan's foreign minister says people in his country are paying the price for the industrialization of richer nations. He stressed Islamabad is determined to stay neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Pakistan has witnessed catastrophic flooding over the past few weeks that have affected more than 33 million people — some 15% of the nation's population — and submerged a third of the country.
The natural disaster has killed over 1,500 people and caused damage worth billions of dollars, compounding the woes of an economy already beset by a raft of problems, ranging from a heavy debt burden and ballooning current account deficit to a tumbling currency and skyrocketing inflation, particularly food prices.
Eight million people still remain displaced, and the World Bank said that the loss of jobs, livestock, harvests and houses as well as the spread of disease, among other problems, threaten to throw millions of people into poverty.
Scientists have said the recent devastating flooding in Pakistan was made worse by global warming caused by greenhouse-gas emissions, which is leading to some kinds of extreme weather becoming more frequent and intense.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is currently visiting Berlin, where he held talks with German authorities to gather support for his country's efforts to help flood victims and overcome a worsening economic crisis.
On Friday, Bhutto-Zardari met with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock. In a joint press conference after the meeting, he described the floods in his country as a crisis of "biblical proportions." The German foreign minister told him that Pakistan can count on German solidarity, offering financial support worth €60 million.
"I'm grateful to Foreign Minister Baerbock for her hospitality," Bhutto-Zardari told DW's Richard Walker. "Going forward, we want to work with our partners, including our friends in Germany, on figuring out ways to finance the reconstruction and rehabilitation as a result of the devastation caused by the floods," he added.
'Not a charity'
Some Pakistani government officials, however, have slammed the international response to the climate catastrophe in Pakistan as "inadequate."
But Western countries are currently busy dealing with rising tensions with Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February.
Pakistan faces food shortages after flooding
As a result of the war in Ukraine, European countries are facing an energy crisis and record inflation. The German government recently announced that it wanted to spend €200 billion on trying to keep energy prices low in the country.
The Pakistani foreign minister said that he understands the difficulties Europe is facing right now. "We've just faced a pandemic that has affected the economies of countries everywhere. We've also seen the devastation in Ukraine and the sanctions that come along with it. That has resulted in difficulties for the people of Germany, just as it's resulted in difficulties for the people of Pakistan," he said.
Bhutto-Zardari, however, pointed out that helping Pakistan deal with the climate crisis is not a "charity" from Western nations.
"It's a question of justice that a country that produces 0.8% of the global carbon footprint is the eighth most climate stressed country on the planet. Some 33 million people are paying with their lives and their livelihoods for the industrialization of richer countries," he said, underlining that "this is a global problem demanding global actions."
"We hope that it also has global solutions despite the incredible difficulties that everybody is facing at this time," the minister added.
Ukraine-Russia conflict: Islamabad refuses to take sides
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was slammed by the West for visiting Moscow at the time when Russian forces began their invasion of Ukraine. Later, Khan accused the US of being involved in a "conspiracy" to oust him from power.
The new government headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, however, does not have a much different position on the Ukraine crisis, with Islamabad trying its best to remain neutral.
Pakistan abstained on a UN General Assembly resolution in March condemning Russia's Ukraine war and is likely to do the same when the body votes on a new draft resolution next week.
"We have a principled position to abstain and not be drawn into a new conflict," Bhutto-Zardari said. "We had the fall of Kabul just a year ago, and that was for us one conflict after another, decades after decades, as we've confronted war and devastation in our neighborhood," he added.
Bhutto-Zardari said that Pakistan is still facing the consequences of the Taliban's seizure of power in Afghanistan, adding that NATO ended the war "without consulting us or without significant engagement with the previous civilian government in Afghanistan."
"We have longstanding ties with Ukraine. We used to import wheat from Ukraine. We still believe that dialogue and diplomacy is absolutely necessary for us to resolve this conflict," he said.
DENGUE OUTBREAK COMPOUNDS MISERY OF PAKISTAN FLOODS
Flood aftermath
Heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan have submerged large parts of the country, killing more than 1,500 people. Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the floods have been left homeless. Residents now face disease outbreaks, particularly the mosquito-borne dengue virus.
1234567
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
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