NEW YORK, Sep 22 (APP):Heart-wrenching photographs of the flood havoc in Pakistan were on display at an exhibition which was opened in the UN building’s main lobby Thursday, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying that he would convey the victims’ distressed voices to the world when he addresses the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Twenty-five photographs tell the grim story of the deadly floods that have inundated one-third of Pakistan, inflicting huge damage to human lives, infrastructure, livestock and crops.
“I will convey the sufferings and feelings of our people when I address the UNGA on Friday,” the prime minister told reporters at the exhibition where he was received by Melissa Fleming, the UN under Secretary-General for Global communications.
The exhibition, titled “Floods in Pakistan – A Climate Change”, was organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in conjunction with the Pakistan Mission to the UN. Also being screened were documentaries produced by the ministry as well as the U.N.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, who was present, also briefed the reporters as well as distinguished visitors to the exhibition on the extent of the flood damage.
In his remarks, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the estimated loss to the Pakistan’s economy was estimated at $30 billion, adding it could be more.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, he said, had become “our voice.”
“I met him today and thanked him for raising the voice of the suffering humanity at the international stage,” he said.
The prime minister said that the secretary-general told him that he will soon hold a donors’ conference, either in New York or somewhere in Europe, to raise funds for the flood victims.
APP/ift
