Daily Times

Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood Friday held a briefing session with Pakistan’s ambassadors and head of missions in various capitals regarding the current calamity faced by the nation due to unprecedented monsoon floods. He highlighted the efforts led by the government with the help of development partners, including the United Nations, international financial institutions and many countries and organizations to address the daunting challenges posed by the devastating floods.

The foreign secretary emphasized on the importance of coordinated and concerted efforts for rescue and relief in the immediate phase to be followed by reconstruction and rehabilitation in the long term. The holistic needs assessment carried out by the government in coordination with the UN country team was shared along with details of loss of life and damage done to infrastructure and property.

It was important to mitigating the inter-related impacts of the floods, including food shortage, communicable diseases, loss of shelter, non-availability of water and sanitation facilities, etc, he added. The foreign secretary urged the missions to play a proactive role in mobilizing resources and humanitarian assistance from Pakistani diaspora and the international community to support the national efforts.

The ambassadors were also briefed about the UN Flash Appeal to be launched on August 30 simultaneously in Geneva and Islamabad. The ambassadors apprised the wide range of activities being undertaken by them to enhance international awareness and garner support for rescue and relief efforts of the government. Views were exchanged on close coordination, swift information-sharing, and range of actions to be taken in support of the ongoing operations.

The people of Pakistan have always shown exemplary resilience, brotherhood, compassion, generosity and commitment in the wake of such natural disasters. Pakistan is amongst top 10 disaster-prone countries due to climate change and the recent flash floods are another manifestation of this fact. It is important that the international community shows solidarity with Pakistan and reinforces its national efforts in combating the impacts of such natural disasters.