ISLAMABAD, Sep 23 (APP):President Dr Arif Alvi Thursday said he was trying to make the government and the opposition sit together and find a middle ground to resolve issues.
Talking to a private television channel, he said negotiations would benefit everybody and would help in resolving major issues facing the country.
The government and the opposition should hold talks on the issues of economy and elections, he added.
“If something is done while remaining within the constitutional bounds it will be beneficial.”
He supported the suggestion of early elections, adding if elections were announced today, at least three months would be needed to hold them.
He said the role of electronic voting machines was important for holding transparent elections.
The President said he took the matter of right of vote for overseas Pakistanis to the court in 2008.
It was unfortunate that religion card was used in the matter of politics, he added.
President asks govt, opposition to hold talks on economy, elections
PMs of Pakistan, Belgium discuss bilateral matters
NEW YORK, Sep 23 (APP):Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Thursday met Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo and discussed matters of mutual interest.
According to the Prime Minister Office, they met on the sidelines of 77th session of United Nations General Assembly here.
Protest held in Geneva against human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir
GENEVA, Sep 23 (APP): During the 51st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council here, various human rights organizations have protested against the ongoing atrocities on the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir by the Indian government and the Indian Army.
During the session from September 19 to 21, tents and posters were displayed at Broken Chair Square.
Through these posters, the ongoing atrocities on the people of Occupied Kashmir were highlighted in front of the international community. In this regard, on Wednesday various human rights organizations protested against the open violations of human rights in Occupied Kashmir, at Broken Chair Square.
The protesters were carrying posters, placards and Kashmiri flags. Protesters raised slogans against Indian atrocities on Kashmiris and demanded the United Nations to play its role in stopping Indian atrocities and human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir.
PM Shehbaz,U.S. president had brief ‘interaction’ at a reception on Wednesday
UNITED NATIONS, Sept 22 (APP):Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had a brief “interaction” with President Joe Biden at a reception the US leader hosted on Wednesday evening for the world leaders gathered in New York for the 77th session of UN General Assembly, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar said.
Responding reporters’ question at UN Headquarters in New York, she described the conversation as “constructive and forward-looking.”
The Pakistan-US relationship, the state minister added, was starting at a “solid footing and we don’t want to rush it.”
The minister said there was lot of sympathy and goodwill among world leaders for the flood-devastated Pakistan and now that must be converted into something concrete for the country to recover from the disaster, and build back better.
“We have fully briefed the international community about the extent of damage wrought by the climate-induced floods”, she added.
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Bilawal seeks climate justice for Pakistan
NEW YORK, Sep 23 (APP):Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Thursday said he wanted climate justice for people of Pakistan as carbon footprint of his country was only 0.8 percent of the total carbon emissions of the world.
While speaking about massive floods in Pakistan, during an event organized by the Council on Foreign Relations here, he said, “All of a sudden we are among the 10 most climate stressed countries on the planet. Pakistan is on number 8th.”
He said the catastrophe of floods in Pakistan was apocalyptic and of epic and biblical proportions.
The rains went on for months till the end of August, and one-third of Pakistan was submerged in flood waters, he added.
He said thirty-three million people were affected during the floods and they became homeless and now their problems were compounded due to the water borne diseases including malaria.
“We need the assistance of the international community including the World Health Organization to tackle the water borne diseases.”
The minister pointed that Pakistan was facing the issue of economic and food insecurity and during the flood four million acres of its standing crops were destroyed.
“We fear that planting of the wheat crops after two months will not be possible.”
Talking about economic difficulties of Pakistan, Bilawal said, “We were in a very difficult negotiations with the IMF and just reached an agreement with the financial institution.”
Pakistan was hoping to enjoy a short space of economic relief but all the economic figures and estimates which were shared with the IMF were also washed away in the floods, he remarked.
He said the guesstimate of the economic cost of the flood damages was close to $ 30 billion.
This catastrophe was not the fault of the people of Dadu in Sindh, Naseerabad in Balochistan, Dera Ghazi Khan in South Punjab and of Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but it was due to effects of climate change.
He expressed gratitude to the United Nations Secretary General, the UN agencies and United States for extending support to Pakistan in the aftermath of the natural disaster.
“I am encouraged by the sympathy, solidarity and support offered by the United Nations, United States and others.”
“We want to be able to rebuild lives and livelihoods of people of Pakistan in a just manner. Every crisis does indeed also offer an opportunity. We will have to construct our lives, our irrigation and communication infrastructure, and we want to do so in a better way, in a greener and climate resilient way.”
“I believe that this is the moment when Pakistan can plan, going forward to adapt ourselves to the increasingly frequent climate catastrophes that we now face,” he observed.
“I must say that Pakistan Peoples Party is the leading voice on climate and environment in Pakistan and is putting this agenda forward. We are focused on wind and solar energy and now climate adaptation will be our main focus,” Bilawal added.
PM attends photo exhibition on `Floods in Pakistan – A Climate Change’
NEW YORK, Sept 22 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Thursday participated in a photo exhibition titled “Floods in Pakistan – A Climate Change” held here at the lobby of United Nations Secretariat.
The exhibition was organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of Pakistan, on the occasion of 77th session of the UN General Assembly, a press release issued by the PM Media Wing said.
Pakistan beat England by 10 wickets in 2nd T20I
KARACHI, Sep 22 (APP): Pakistan on Thursday thrashed England in the 2nd T20I by 10 wickets at the National Stadium here.
The visiting team won the toss and elected to bat first. England made 199 runs at the loss of five wickets in 20 overs.
The host team chased the target and made 203 runs in 19.3 overs and won the match by 10 wickets.
Big emitters must move to create formal mechanism to finance losses: Sherry
ISLAMABAD, Sep 22 (APP): Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman on Thursday said the big emitters must move to create a formal mechanism to finance losses at the next conference of parties (COP) as the developing countries would continue to experience loss and damage.
Speaking at the 2nd Climate and Development Ministerial Meeting in New York, the minister said, “Pakistan is on the frontlines of a climate precipice that is not waiting for anyone. Our vulnerability to climate change is extremely high, despite having less than 1% share in the global GHG emissions.”
She said expectations also include the burden of emissions to be shared equitably, not equally, let alone disproportionately, which is the case right now. What is needed given today’s pace of change is a tripling of the climate financing targets of $100bn, and not double-counting these as overseas development assistance, but actualized, transparent, agile resource transfers, said a statement received here.
Talking about the flood disaster, Sherry Rehman warned that the flood crisis will last for months and already water-borne diseases are causing havoc in the country. With more than 1500 dead and 12,860 injured, health camps only in the flood-hit areas in Sindh received 78,000 patients in the last 24-hours with some places still inundated in several feet of floodwater.
She said the monster flooding did not happen by chance as the attribution studies and scientific modeling show that the world, especially the Global South, will see another year of weather disasters that destroy homes, ruin crops and threaten lives. Decisions that impact real lives and people left behind have to be accelerated beyond discussion.
Focusing on Pakistan’s future climate actions, the minister said Pakistan stands by its pledges for reducing emissions and seek the support for making a transition to renewable energy but none of that will matter if the big emitters don’t stop.
Developing countries will continue to pay the social and economic costs even if the most vulnerable 1% low emitters like Pakistan, go green. High fossil fuel emissions are causing the planet to burn up, she added.
Sherry Rehman said today, countries nearer the equator unjustly face the brunt of climate disruption. We have not caused the big shifts in warming, but we continue to pay in humanitarian disasters like glacial melting, floods, droughts and heat waves crossing 53 C.
She said, “We see plans for financing adaptation at the UNGA but countries like mine, now, want to see tangible pipelines for resources for humanitarian crises induced by climate change. COP27 must capitalize the adaptation fund and also introduce agility and speed in countries that need to build resilience. Simplified, long-term climate financing instruments are needed to plug severe capacity deficits in the developing countries right now as the protracted periods of pipelining funds lose potency when resilience needs change faster than the speed of resource dispersion.”