ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday stressed that the growing frequency and intensity of climate-related disasters highlighted the need for greater preparedness, resilience, and stronger coordination at the national, regional, and international levels during a meeting with United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher in Islamabad.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, called on the prime minister at the Prime Minister’s House. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik, and other senior officials also attended the meeting.
The prime minister commended the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for its humanitarian work in responding to complex emergencies across the world. He also acknowledged OCHA’s continued support for Pakistan, particularly during the devastating 2022 floods, and thanked the organisation for helping strengthen the country’s disaster response capacity.
Shehbaz said Pakistan’s national and provincial disaster management institutions had significantly improved their ability to respond to climate-induced disasters over the years. However, he cautioned that the worsening effects of climate change required enhanced preparedness, greater resilience, and closer cooperation among all stakeholders.
The PMO said Fletcher thanked the prime minister for receiving him and praised the longstanding partnership and close cooperation between Pakistan and OCHA. He also lauded Shehbaz’s efforts to promote regional peace and stability, saying sustainable peace was essential for addressing the humanitarian and economic consequences of conflicts.
During the meeting, Fletcher briefed the prime minister on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the challenges OCHA faces in delivering urgently needed assistance to affected civilians. He also appreciated Pakistan’s continued support for OCHA’s humanitarian operations in Afghanistan.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to international humanitarian cooperation, Prime Minister Shehbaz said the country would continue working closely with the United Nations and OCHA to strengthen disaster preparedness, enhance global humanitarian coordination, and support relief efforts for vulnerable communities affected by conflicts and natural disasters.
Separately, the prime minister met NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik to review preparations for the ongoing monsoon season. According to a post shared by the PMO on X, Shehbaz directed the NDMA chief to further improve coordination with provincial governments and provincial disaster management authorities to ensure an effective response during the rains.
The premier was briefed on emergency preparedness measures for the monsoon season, including progress in fully operationalising the early warning system and ongoing coordination with the Ministry of Climate Change.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz had ordered the formation of a federal emergency response committee and directed Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik and the NDMA chairman to visit all provinces, as well as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), to assess preparedness for the monsoon season.
The meetings came after the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) announced that a fresh spell of monsoon rains would begin in the first week of July. The department said a westerly wave was expected to enter the upper parts of the country from June 30, while moist currents from the Arabian Sea would continue penetrating eastern and central regions.
The PMD warned that severe weather could damage infrastructure, including solar panels, electricity poles and billboards. It also cautioned about the risk of landslides in vulnerable areas of upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir.
The department further warned of possible urban and flash flooding in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Nowshera, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujranwala, Lahore and Faisalabad, advising the public to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions.