Floods: PM Shehbaz Sharif thanks UN chief for unprecedented support
- By Abdullah Zafar -
- Sep 11, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday thanked United Nations (UN) General Secretary Antonio Guterres for his unprecedented support of the flood victims.
In a message from his Twitter handle, the prime minister said that the two-day visit of the UN chief has been critical in raising awareness about the human tragedy. “Deeply touched by his empathy and leadership. Pakistan needs global support to overcome this challenge,” PM Shehbaz Sharif added.
The prime minister further shared that during his visit to the flood-affected areas and camps under scorching heat, UN Secretary General was overwhelmed by the scale of devastation that has engulfed Pakistan.
شدید گرمی میں سیلاب متاثرہ علاقوں اور امدادی کیپمس کے دورے کے دوران UN سیکرٹری جنرل پاکستان میں سیلاب کی تباہ کاریوں کو دیکھ کر شدید حیران و پریشان رہ گئے. وہ سیلاب متاثرین کے دُکھوں کی آواز بن گئے ہیں. دنیا کو انکی موسمیاتی تبدیلی کے خطرات کے حوالے سے گفتگو پر توجہ دینی چاہیئے pic.twitter.com/BW5osCBQ1N
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) September 11, 2022
“His voice has become the voice of flood victims. The world should pay heed to what he said about climate change,” he said.
UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres concluded his two-day visit to Pakistan to oversee the damages from the floods. He along with the prime minister had visited Balochistan and Sindh provinces to witness the devastation faced by the country after the floods.
On Saturday, UNSG António Guterres said that UN will strongly advocate for ‘debt swaps’ with IMF and World Bank through which developing countries like Pakistan instead of paying a debt to foreign creditors would make payments to finance climate projects at home.
“We will go on strongly advocating for these solutions in the meetings with IMF and World Bank, which will take place soon.”
“It is a question of justice, Pakistan is paying the price of something that was created by others,” he said.
Talking to the media at Karachi airport along with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, UN chief called upon the international community to scale up their support for flood-hit Pakistan.