By: S.Z Babar
On one hand the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is elucidating the international organizations about the disaster caused by the floods in Pakistan while on the other hand restoration work in the flood-affected areas is being vigorously carried out with the limited resources at hand, for instance, the Prime Minister of Pakistan visited Suhbatpur yesterday, which was considered as one of the most flood affected areas, for this purpose.
On this occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, addressing the affectees of flood along with tribal elders, said that he was delighted to see that the erstwhile water-submerged region was coming back to life with the help of federal and provincial government. The Prime Minister further said that there is no doubt that the government’s resources are limited, but it was also true that he, along with all of PDM, will never rest until the flood-affected areas are fully restored.
The upcoming International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan to be held on the 9th of January is undoubtedly a great success; the head of the United Nations will not only participate personally in the said Conference, but he has also invited the representatives of other important countries to participate. The countries with which Pakistan enjoys friendly bilateral relations have definitely helped in catastrophic times of floods. Such countries are also assisting in rehabilitation of the flood affectees.
Millions of families deserve assistance as a significant proportion of the flood affectees is still homeless. This is one of the gravest challenges being faced by the government. Despite the successful presentation of the case, help is still awaited. The cost of devastation caused by this catastrophe is beyond the affordability of the flood affectees. Hence, they are looking for assistance on an emergency basis in order to repair their homes and infrastructure . According to an estimate, about 1 million houses were destroyed in Pakistan due to the recent rain spell. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that helping the flood affectees is not a favor by the government but a primary duty.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan is going to send a message to the world on January 9th that the flood-affectees are of prime importance and that Pakistan’s contribution to global climate change is negligible. The world leaders, including the United Nations, are well aware of this fact. Global climate change has considered Pakistan as a scapegoat; the industrial sector in Pakistan doesn’t create any significant carbon footprint, so the question is how would the other world countries, including the United States, help Pakistan.
The statistics are proof that all the international financial institutions, including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, claim to improve the economy of developing countries, but this is precisely not the case; it is impossible that a developing country continues to violate international laws and the world leaders, including the United States, can’t preclude it.
There is no such situation as a conflict in the national or financial interests of the states. It is certainly unfortunate that the government of Imran Khan of the past left no stone unturned in increasing the difficulties of Pakistan in the then world scenario. The controversial narrative he set at the time of his departure from government resulted in a virtual rift between Washington and Islamabad, as Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, accused the United States in rallies, largely freezing relations with the United States which were badly affected by his anti-American stance.
In this background, the representatives of the American government clearly told that the United States had no hand in bringing down the PTI government in Pakistan and US played no key role in the removal of Imran Khan from office. Thankfully, Imran Khan has accepted defeat, directly or indirectly, according to his opponents. Not being able to blame anyone else, Imran Khan should know that his vision and intentions will be revealed only when he extends his hand to the PDM government without any preconditions so that on January 9, the positive effects of the world conference could be multiplied for the country.
