Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, has said that the devastating floods in his country are “a clear manifestation of the unprecedented frequency and intensity of extreme climate events,” crucially absolving itself on all counts. The Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was speaking at the inaugural session of the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York ahead of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s September 23 address.
During his multiple engagements on the sidelines of the UNGA session, Bhutto also met with Ministers of China and Norway to discuss the grave situation of floods in Pakistan. Taking to Twitter, the PPP Chairman shared glimpses of his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
“We discussed further deepening of Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership & enhancing economic engagement. I thanked China for their support for Pakistan as we suffer from historic climate catastrophe (sic), he tweeted.
Emphasising the role of climate change in the flood situation, Bhutto also discussed assistance with Norway’s Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt. “Thanked Norway for expression of solidarity & assistance for unprecedented floods & climate catastrophe in fruitful exchange on global & regional matters of mutual interest; climate change, trade & invest., & our bilat. cooperation (sic)”, he tweeted.
The provinces of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Sindh in southern Pakistan are the most severely affected areas. It is no secret, that southern Pakistan is also the region that has been the most neglected by the government despite being the richest in terms of minerals and coal.
However, the blame is now solely being pinned on climate change instead of Islamabad’s long-standing ignorance toward the region and its people. What’s also worth noting is the China-funded development of Gwadar port in Balochistan, the province rich in minerals, is met with severe resistance by the Baloch Liberation Army which seeks independence from Pakistan.
Floods in Pakistan
According to PTI, over 1,500 people have died and thousands more have been injured in the floods that have affected more than 33 million. In addition to this, lakhs of people have been displaced due to villages being washed away. Through the data collected by satellites, NASA revealed that Balochistan and Sindh have so far this year received five to six times their 30-year average rainfall which has resulted in the loss of 3,500 km of roads and 2 million acres of crops and orchards.
Amid the grim situation, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif will address the General Assembly and call other nations for assistance. “Reached NY a few hours ago to tell Pakistan’s story to the world, a story of deep anguish & pain arising out of a massive human tragedy caused by floods”, Sharif tweeted. “In my address at UNGA & bilateral meetings, I will present Pakistan’s case on issues that call for world’s immediate attention”.