Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif talked about the ongoing climate change devastation that has been caused by unprecedented floods across Pakistan at Shangai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
In his speech, the premier stressed that his country’s contribution to the global carbon commission is only 1 per cent. “Our carbon emission is less than one per cent. Yet nature had this in store for us,” Shehbaz Sharif said.
Moreover, he urged the world to formulate a well-thought-out and sustainable plan to prevent devastating episodes of climate change destruction in the future. “We are going to stand on our own feet but will this be the last time a country is going to fall victim to this devastation”, he asked, as he appealed to the SCO to “build a wall” against the menace of climate change.
He concluded his speech by reaffirming Pakistan’s “strong and unwavering commitment” to advancing the objectives of the SCO.
At the international forum, the premier urged the leaders not to ignore Afghanistan at this time.
He stated that the world would have to work together to support all “good initiatives” in Afghanistan. “It will be a big mistake if we ignore Afghanistan this time around”, he warned.
Moreover, PM Shehbaz asked the international community to support efforts to build a sustainable Afghan economy. “Unfreezing Afghanistan’s financial assets remains a crucial need in this regard”, he stressed.
PM Shehbaz meets Chinese President Xi Jinping
On Friday, PM Shehbaz met Chinese President Xi Jinping at SCO in Uzbekistan.
In an official statement, the Chinese foreign ministry said that during the meeting, Xi pointed out that China and Pakistan are close neighbours “linked by mountains and rivers and with a shared future”.
The two countries have all along stood with each other through thick and thin. No matter how the international situation evolves, China and Pakistan are always each other’s trustworthy strategic partners, the statement added.
President Xi stressed that the two sides must continue to firmly support each other, foster stronger synergy between their development strategies, and harness the role of the Joint Cooperation Committee of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to ensure smooth construction and operation of major projects.
On Thursday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that PM Shehbaz had “very successful” talks with Russian President Putin and Chinese President Xi.
“Both of them have officially invited Shehbaz Sharif to visit their countries. The prime minister has accepted both invitations. There will be a visit to China in November 2022,” the minister confirmed in a tweet.
Earlier, it was reported that PM Shehbaz would meet Xi Jinping, the Chinese President. However, no plans have been announced of a meeting between the Pakistani Prime Minister and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, who is also attending the SCO.
Shehbaz Sharif was also scheduled to meet Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev later in the day.
On Thursday, the prime minister met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s Ebrahim Raisi. He also met with the president of Tajikistan and Kagystan.
Shehbaz Sharif declared his meetings with the world leaders on Thursday as “productive”.
“It was a long but productive day in Samarkand. In my meetings with leaders of friendly countries, we agreed on enhancing trade and investment. I explained the flood ravages due to climate change. Food and energy shortages present a real challenge to our shared development agenda,” he tweeted.
During the meeting with Putin, the Russian president said that pipeline gas supplies to Pakistan are possible, and that part of the necessary infrastructure is already in place.
After the meeting with Putin, the premier also held a bilateral meeting with Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon.
The two leaders held wide-ranging talks covering all aspects of mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation, including regional and international issues.
Shehbaz Sharif thanked Tajikistan for its support to flood affectees in Pakistan and shared details of the devastation caused by the massive floods.
Since becoming a full member of SCO in 2017, Pakistan has been actively contributing and participating in the activities of the organisation.
