Syed Nayyar Bukhari reacts to Imran Khan’s UN address

Islamabad: Former Chairman Senate and Secretary General Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari has reacted to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s address in the UN Assembly and has said that the speech’s primary issue was not Kashmir which is concerning.

He said that the purpose for the visit was to gain support for the Kashmiris that are being tortured in IOK, which the government failed to do so.

He said that without a positive result, the speech is meaningless as the real purpose was to attain support that backed the resolution for the Kashmiri people, but a lackluster response proves that “our case should be more convincing.”

He also said that the only new issue that the PM mentioned was climate change and in 1947, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto united the Muslim community even without nuclear power, with his conviction which the current government lacks.

Pedalling for action on climate change

Islamabad: For the fourth year, the European Union Delegation to Pakistan and WWF-Pakistan jointly commemorated the Climate Diplomacy Day in Islamabad on Sunday to highlight adverse impacts of climate change and seek positive actions.

Aiming to encourage informed debate on climate change, the event brought together people from diverse backgrounds to become part of the exchanges taking place worldwide in the crucial reflection on how to explore the opportunities arising through the irreversible transition to low carbon economies while ensuring equitable access to sustainable development.

The event kicked off with the participants cycling from the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) on a designated route as a symbolic gesture to raise awareness to curtail the growth of greenhouse emissions by promoting eco-friendly modes of transportation. The event then moved on to documentary screening – Our Planet, Our Business – which shed light on role of businesses in building sustainable future.

It shows that all business activities depend on the nature. Planet Earth provides our societies with all the material we need for free including: clean air and water, food, soil, a benign climate and productive seas. But the global loss of nature is making the planet less stable and is already costing our economies trillions of dollars every year.

Ambassador-Designate of the European Union to Pakistan, Androulla Kaminara said that, “The EU continues to reaffirm its steadfast commitment to the Paris Agreement as the essential multilateral framework governing global action to deal with climate change. While the EU is on track to exceed its 2020 target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it is determined to help raise global ambition and lead the way on accelerated climate action on all fronts. The youth climate movement is a sign of the growing awareness in our societies that climate change is a reality already that requires action today. The EU will continue engaging with partners, including Pakistan, to address the common challenge of climate change through a multilateral approach. Particularly since Pakistan is ranked as the seventh country most venerable to climate change in the world.”

Rab Nawaz, Senior Director Programmes, WWF-Pakistan said that climate change is a bitter reality that poses a greater threat to our present and future generations. Pakistan is at risk of climate related natural hazards as we have been witnessing widespread rains, super floods, frequent heatwaves and temperature rise and incidences of coastal flooding and se intrusion. Nature-based solutions such as large-scale plantation drives, protection of existing forests, promotion of renewable energy and conservation of water resources should be adopted to address this grave challenge. He emphasized the need for unprecedented action to tackle the issue of climate change at the local, regional and global levels.

He appreciated the activism of youth and civil society organizations in recent Climate March events held in different cities all over Pakistan and stressed that youth being the future guardian of this planet, should come forward and do act to reverse the climate change.

Addressing the event, Malik Amin Aslam, Advisor to Prime Minister Pakistan on Climate Change, who was the chief guest of the event, said that Pakistan annually faces economic losses between USD 6-14 billion solely due to deteriorating climatic conditions. Melting of the glaciers in its northern regions of Pakistan could disturb the biodiversity of the entire country and adversely influence the climatic conditions. “The current government is fully aware of the climate change challenges facing Pakistan and is taking adequate measures to deal with them”, he added.

To discuss the impacts of climate change and bring forth practical solutions, a speech competition was held on the theme ‘Youth for Climate Action’ amongst the students. Atotal of 30 youngsters from 10 private and government colleges and universities, in the 14 to 22 years age group, participated in the competition. The best young speaker received a cash prize of PKR 25,000 and an acknowledgement certificate by the chief guest.

At conclusion of the event, all participants signed a pledge wall and showed their concerns about threats of climate change. That showed a commitment to fight the grave climate change challenge by planting more trees, conserving water, reducing carbon footprint and changing lifestyles.

Each year, the European Union around the world celebrates Climate Diplomacy Day with events taking place to highlight climate action in the EU and beyond. Conferences, citizens’ debates, exhibitions, films and social media activities aim to encourage informed debate and a joint response to the climate challenge. These events build on the momentum of the Paris Agreement – the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal agreed in Paris in December 2015.