— ‘Be judicious, not just generous,’ in assisting Pakistan, UN boss tells world
LARKANA: The prime minister on Saturday said the government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties was “fully cognisant” of the challenges being faced by the victims of catastrophic floods as he reassured them of the federal and provincial governments’ complete support in “this hour of distress”.
Talking to flood-weary residents along with António Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations who is on a two-day visit to take stock of flood damage, Shehbaz Sharif said an amount of Rs70 billion allocated by the central government was being disbursed among flood-hit families under Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).
He told the audience that Guterres had come all along from New York to offer grief and sorrow over the death from flood waters of about 1,300 people.
He observed that Sindh suffered massive losses as its crops were damaged and livestock swept away. The top UN diplomat has arrived here to express solidarity with the people of Pakistan, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the foreign minister, expressed gratitude to the prime minister and Guterres for their support and solidarity.
He said it was a historic event as Guterres arrived in Larkana, adding that Islamabad, Sindh and the international community will join hands to build structures that could resist future calamities.
Guterres, on the behalf of the UN, expressed solidarity to all those who suffered due to the terrible floods in Pakistan.
He said: “Voice of the UN will be exactly the same as Pakistan.”
Pakistan and other developing countries are paying a horrific price for the intransigence of big emitters that continue to bet on fossil fuels.
From Islamabad, I am issuing a global appeal:
Stop the madness.
Invest in renewable energy now.
End the war with nature. pic.twitter.com/P0jtVikv1r
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) September 10, 2022
He said that monsoon season had always been unpredictable. The developed nations have been contributing to air pollution, and ensuing increasing temperatures resulted in more floods and glacial melting and giving rise to catastrophic situations like being witnessed in Pakistan, he opined.
Guterres said Pakistan was not responsible for the environmental pollution, but it was nevertheless suffering due to high air pollution levels across the West.
He urged the developed countries to support Pakistan. He further observed that Pakistan had no resources to compensate for the deaths, and loss of crops and livestock. “Those who had created such a situation must support Pakistan as Pakistan can’t do it alone. I am not asking for generosity, but for justice,” he added.
He said his message to the world would be to stop this war on nature as it would not forgive, and stop polluting the environment which was creating vital changes and contributing to the warming of the planet.
Narrating his background, he said he belonged to a farming family from Portugal, and that he could realise the sufferings, and pains over the loss of property.
Praying for the alleviation of flood affectees’ sufferings, the UN secretary-general said that he hoped for a miracle to set things right.
Later, Guterres visited the UNESCO World Heritage archaeological site of Mohenjo-daro where he was briefed by the authorities.
Talking to the media, the United Nations chief reiterated that Pakistan had no capacity to rebuild and reconstruct, and urged the global community to play its role in this regard.
He said the recent floods had been the result of climate change and the country was among the top countries that had been facing the adverse impacts of such phenomenon.
