RAWALPINDI: Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).the mouth piece of Pakistan Army has termed the facts and figures shared on social media about assets of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and his family members “misleading”.
The media wing of Pakistani armed forces, in a statement, said that the details about their assets are based on assumptions, adding that a specific group has cunningly attributed the assets held by the father of Gen Bajwa’s daughter-in-law to the Army Chief and his family.
It also rejected an impression that Gen Bajwa’s relative built up the assets during his six-year stint as COAS. Calling the reports contrary to fact and an blatant lies, the ISPR said that the attempt was based on mal-intentions.
Assets owned by the Army Chief and his family are declared with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), it said, adding that they filed their tax returns regularly.
Like every citizen, Army Chief and his family is answerable to the tax authorities, it said.
Earlier this week, the FBR suspended from service two officers of the Inland Revenue Service in connection with the leak of tax record details of the outgoing army chief his family.
Sources said Deputy Commissioners Atif Nawaz and Zahoor Ahmad have been suspended from service after preliminary investigations.
According to the initial report, the data leaked from the log in and passwords of both officers who are currently under investigation for further revelations.
Earlier, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar ordered an inquiry into the unwarranted leakage of tax information of the family members of outgoing army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Taking serious notice, he said this is clear violation of complete confidentiality of tax information that the law provides.
In view of this serious lapse on the part of to-date unknown functionaries, the Finance Minister has directed the SAPM on Revenue Tariq Mehmood Pasha to personally lead an immediate investigation into the violation of tax law and breach of FBR data, affix responsibility and submit a report within twenty-four hours.
KARACHI: Two robbers shot and killed a citizen and injured two others before being killed by another citizen in Karachi’s Sarjani Sector on Sunday, Police officials said.
Eye witnesses on spot told the police that two robbers approached a man and his son outside their residential property in 7A Sarjani Sector and tried to plunder cash and valuables. On facing resistance, the suspects opened fire on them.
During the course of time, another citizen who was armed with a gun opened fire on the suspects and brought them down.
Locals gathered on the spot, overpowered the injured suspects and started giving them a sound thrash. Police said the injured citizens and the suspects were transported to a hospital where one of the citizens and criminals were pronounced dead.
LARKANA: At least five people have lost their lives in a tragic accident in occurred Larkana district of Sindh province on early Sunday.
According to details, a car got hit into a tractor on the underpass highway near Khairpur Juso due to fog in the area. As a result of the tragedy five members of a family died, including a brother and sister and also a girl.
The dead have been identified as Mithal Shah, Azeem Shah, Ismail Shah, Sabira Shah and a girl Mansha Shah, said the police.
Furthermore, the police officials added that the deceased belonged to Rato Dero tehsil of Larkana.
ISLAMABAD: The English Cricket team touched down in Islamabad in the wee hours of Sunday morning to play the three-match Test series against Pakistan, for the first time in 17 years.
A video shared by England Cricket showed the team member’s arrival at the Islamabad International Airport from Abu Dhabi, where the Englishmen trained.
The Test series will begin on December 1, with the first Test to be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. It will be a Test match to be played for the first time in the Pindi stadium’s history. Later, the second Test will be hosted in Multan while the last Test will be played in Karachi.
England skipper Ben Stokes, who led his side to the glorious victory of T20 World Cup 2022 against the Men in Green, will be captaining the team in the Test series, the first in 17 years to be played in Pakistan. The England Test squad toured Pakistan in 2005.
The English men visited Pakistan after a hiatus of the same duration, to play a seven-match T20 series in September, and won 4-3.
England Test squad
Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Joe Root, James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Rehan Ahmed, Will Jacks, Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood.
Pakistan Squad
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Zahid Mehmood.
Schedule of Tests
December 1-5 – First Test, Rawalpindi
December 9-13 – Second Test, Multan
December 17-21 – Third Test, Karachi
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Sunday arrested PTI leader Azam Swati over his controversial tweets against a state institution, reports said.
The PTI leader was taken into custody from his farmhouse located in Chak Shahzad, a suburb situated in Islamabad, by three-member FIA team, hours after his party staged a power-show in the neighboring city of Rawalpindi.
In his address, PTI Chairman Imran Khan announced to resign from all assemblies, in a latest push to his demand for fresh elections in the country.
The 74-year-old politician has been arrested for second time in more than a month as he secured post-arrest bail in controversial tweets case from a court in the capital city last month.
The FIA has registered a first information (FIR) report on the complaint of the state through Islamabad Cyber Crime Reporting Centre (CCRC) Technical Assistant Aneesur Rehman.
Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Imran Khan and other party leaders reacted strongly against the arrest of Senator Azam Swati.
Taking to Twitter, Imran Khan wrote: “I am shocked & appalled at how rapidly we are descending into not just a banana republic but a fascist state. How can anyone not understand the pain & suffering Senator Swati underwent with custodial torture & blackmailing video of him & his conservative wife sent to his family?”
“He is justifiable anger & frustration at the injustice meted out to him especially the doors of SC [Supreme Court] remaining closed to him despite over a fortnight of appeals by Senators in support of him. So he tweets & is arrested again,” he added while urging people to raise their voice against this state fascism.
PTI leader Shireen Mazari also termed the incident as an act of “fascism”, stating that Swati was arrested by FIA after he spoke at “Azadi March” in Rawalpindi yesterday.
“Senator Azam Swati arrested again by FIA after he spoke at our Azadi March where he asked some questions & spoke abt what hapened to him & his family. Is that a crime? Did the pussilanimous Senate Chairman again give his approval for this arrest? Fascism,” the tweet read.
Asad Umar also reacted to the arrest, saying: “The dignified manner in which azam swati conducted himself as he was arrested today shows he is fighting for a principle”.
“You can disagree with his choice of words or even his views, but you cannot disagree with him that whatever happens must do so within ambit of law,” the former planning minister said.
ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Ethiopia Jemal Beker Abdula here on Saturday urged Islamabad business fraternity to join in the business delegation which was set to fly to Ethiopia by next year start for exploring Ethiopian markets.
Addressing the media, he said the business delegation would fly to Ethiopia in the maiden flight of Ethiopian Airlines which was all-set to start its operation in Karachi by the start of next year.
Flanked by Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), the Ambassador said that it was high time for Pakistani investors and businessmen to enter Ethiopian markets which offered lucrative investment and business opportunities in the diverse economic sectors such as agriculture, agro-processing, manufacturing, mining, textile, health sector and tourism.
“Our government opened the financial sector some three months ago and now looking forward to the establishment of traditional banks and stock exchange in Ethiopia,” he said, adding that Ethiopia was becoming a manufacturing hub of Africa producing the cheapest clean energy in the world.
He said that Ethiopia was exporting clean energy to Kenya, Sudan, and Djibouti, while efforts were afoot to sell it to other countries and ensure regional integration through energy grid. “My country has almost completed the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam which is being built on the Nile River and set to produce 6,500 MW of electricity. Many others are in vault as Ethiopia is striving to integrate the African region through energy, trade, air service, and tourism connectivity.”
He said that Ethiopia was energy tower of Africa hence becoming the manufacturing hub. We have already established multiple manufacturing zones for different industries including textile, pharmaceutical, laser and laser products, he added.
The Ambassador said that Ethiopia was geographically located at a very important position close to the Middle East, the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea. For Pakistan, Ethiopia would be a gateway to Africa, he said.
He said that Ethiopia attached great importance to advancing the bilateral relationship with Pakistan and opening of our mission in Islamabad reflected our commitment in this regard.
He said that Ethiopia and Pakistan established their diplomatic ties in 1958 and Pakistan set up its embassy in Ethiopia in 1973. Both countries have been enjoying the cordial relations since then and working on bilateral, regional and global issues in a remarkable way. “I express my gratitude to the people and the government of Pakistan for extending support to Ethiopia for non-permanent candidacy in the United Nations. I am also grateful to the Government of Pakistan for standing by Ethiopia in the UN Human Rights Council over the human rights issues in northern part of Ethiopia which is politically motivated resolution.”
He said that both the countries were part of the UN Peace Keeping Mission in Congo, Liberia, Burundi, Somalia and South Sudan which showed convergence of their interests for international peace and security. Both the governments have been working on many agreements which would be instrumental in increasing political cooperation, economic engagement and people-to-people contacts through tourism promotion, the envoy said.
He said that the bilateral trade between the two countries was minimal and amounted to 78 million US dollars. However, my target is to take it to 300 million US dollars by the end of 2023, he added.
We have identified the products which will be exported to my country from Pakistan. Pakistani business community can contribute to the Pakistan’s economic development by exporting rice, pharmaceutical products, medical equipment, sports items and construction material to my country, he said and added, the Government of Pakistan can import agricultural products such as coffee, tea, pulses, oilseeds and vegetables from Ethiopia at affordable prices which will eventually help it mitigate the growing demand of the edible.
Giving the similarities between the two countries in different aspects, he said there is a marriage of convenience between them which is reflected in the demand made by the heads of both the states at the COP27 for establishment of a climate fund.
Ethiopia and Pakistan share similarities in many ways as both are heirs of ancient civilizations, influential diaspora and share social, cultural and political values. It has a federal system like that of Pakistan which holds elections at regular intervals, the Ambassador told.
He said that Ethiopia was on upward trajectory registering a double-digit economy which had transformed the livelihood and well-being of its citizens. It had developed a home-grown economy as a result of the reforms initiated in 2018.
The envoy said that the steps taken to address the bottlenecks for FDI, trade and business services at micro, macro and structural level had started paying dividends especially in five major economic sectors including agriculture, manufacturing, mining, tourism and ICT.
He said that the government of Ethiopia attached great importance to the agriculture sector and has taken multiple steps to enhance production and productivity of this sector through technological transformation innovation. For livelihood, he added around 80 percent of population is largely dependent on the agriculture sector which makes 90 per cent of exports and 45 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product.
The Ambassador said that a one-window facility was on the cards where the investors would have all the facilities for import and export under one roof, adding it would work like a one-stop shop for the investors. Ethiopia has been offering multiple incentives to the investors who will be exporting the products to other destinations after ensuring their manufacturing in the country, he told.
He said that Ethiopia had access to African Continental Free Trade Areas where everything was sold out to every part of Africa. “My country is a gateway to Africa and Pakistani investors can do a good business by investing in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is the land of Origin, the Lucy, the human fossil that is believed to be the first human and also the land of coffee. It is the land of Hazrat Bilal Habshi and King Najashi. So, visiting the land of origin is like going back to your ancestral land, the envoy expressed.
“We have very natural safari which has almost every specie of the animals and our people are very hospitable which makes it the next best tourist destination of the world.”
He said the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is another major sector in which Ethiopia is making strides with development of technology transformation road map, innovation ecosystem and conducive technology center, adding that his country was endowed with precious metals and minerals, natural gas and oil. Our government, he added has recently identified various areas for mining of those materials and undertaking research in collaboration with international firms.
“I can assure Pakistan investors that their investment in Ethiopia will be protected by the government and will also have international guarantee as my country is member of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency.”
The government of Ethiopia is taking multiple steps to facilitate the foreign investment in our country. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed chairs meeting of the Board of Investment in every two months to address the challenges faced by the investors in our country, he concluded.
RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday announced to exit from all the assemblies, saying that the leadership has decided to not head towards Islamabad.
Addressing the participants of the long marrh, the former premier [Imran] said that after consulting with the parliamentary party, the date of the ‘exiting’ from the assemblies will be decided as – according to him – he has talked with his Chief Ministers in this regard. He added that the PTI could no longer be a part of the corrupt system.
At the outset of his speech, the PTI chief said that he offers an apology to his supporters of making them to wait for the power show. Many of the PTI’s supporters are stranded on the roads. Talking about the gunfire incident, he said that attempt was made to assassinate him, adding that he had a near-death experience.
Saying that was told that it would take three months for –his – wounds to heal, Imran claimed those who tried to assassinate him are still sitting in the top-level positions, adding that three people were behind his assassination attempt. He claimed that those who called cypher ‘fake’ were involved in the process of toppling his government.
Berating the – rulers and allies – of the incumbent government, Imran Khan said that there was no stone left to dishonour me. He added, “I am here today to tell you [PTI’s supporters] that the country is standing on the historic moments.
The former premier said that in the societies where there is no rule of law and justice decline. He claimed that first the rulers of the incumbent government were called ‘thieves’ and then they were given NRO behind closed doors. He told his supporters that fear makes people ‘slaves’.
The PTI Chairman once again vowed to fight for the country’s betterment till the very last moment, while he said that the nation has denounced the – rulers – of the incumbent government in the by-polls
The PTI chief made it clear that the he owns the country and the Pak Army, saying that Pakistan belongs to him and he never thought of seeking a foreign passport. He added that he feels proud that the Pak Army is powerful.
He said that 75 per cent of the country’s population – according to survey – wants election as merely the political stability could pave way for the economic growth.
PTI Vice President and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the party’s chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan’s real independence is to fight for the actual freedom.
Addressing the participants of the long march, the seasoned politician went on to say that the former premier [Imran] is confident that the nation would not disappoint him. He added that the masses are not with the view of accepting the system of injustice.
He lambasted the incumbent government, saying that the rulers are not concerned about the economy, but of ruling, adding that if they [rulers] are thinking that by resorting to the tactics of delaying elections will pave way for Imran Khan’s ‘declining’ popularity, so they [rulers] are on the ‘wrong direction’.
PTI leader and senator Azam Swati has sought the reasons over toppling of former prime minister Imran Khan’s government.
Addressing the participants of the long march, Swati said that for the actual freedom, the PTI’s leadership would continue to extend support to the party’s chairman [Imran Khan]. He questioned that why the FIR is not being registered as per Imran Khan’s will.
Expressing his views over the economic situation in the PTI’s regime, Swati said that the during the PTI’s regime, economy was growing ‘soundly.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI senior leader Asad Umar admired the sacrifices made by the Pak Army.
He was expressing his thoughts in his address to the participants of the long march, lamenting that in the matter of assassination attempt on Imran Khan, the FIR was registered as per Imran’s will. Asad stated that historic events are taking place in Pakistan and that the fate of the country would no longer be decided behind closed doors.
Like other PTI leaders, Asad Umar talked about senator Azam Swati and noted journalist Arshad Sharif, saying that appeals of both of them were sidelined, adding that the family of Arshad Sharif is waiting for the ‘deliverance’ of justice.
PTI leader Murad Saeed expressed his views, saying that the party’s leadership would prefer to remain ‘estranged’ if patriotism falls under insurgency.
Addressing the participants of the long march, Murad took a jibe at the government, accusing the rulers of treason, adding that whoever talks about the justice, subjected to the torture. He stated that the PTI leadership has pledged to fight both internal and external conspiracies.
Sharing his thoughts over the assassination of renowned journalist Arshad Sharif, Murad said that Arshad’s killers should be brought to justice. Talking about the gunfire attack, Murad said that even after the assassination attempt on the PTI chief, he [Imran] remained ‘flawless’.
Awami Muslim League (AML) Sheikh Rashid on Saturday said that the masses of Rawalpindi – Rashid’s hometown – feel proud to host Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Addressing the participants of the long march, Rashid lashed out at the incumbent government over economic situation. Talking about the ouster of Imran’s government, the former federal minister said that the PTI-led government was toppled by purchasing the conscience of the lawmakers.
Vowing to overthrow the government through the constitutional way, Rashid berated Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, saying that Dar is lying over LC.
He added that “I was silent for the past eight months, but I want to say today that the army is mine, the judiciary is mine. I am proud of my Pakistan Army.”
He added, “We don’t want to fight. We [only] want to fight Shehbaz Sharif, the robber, Asif Zardari dacoit, and Nawaz Sharif, the absconder.
PTI senior leader and former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry said that his party is optimistic about change in the institution.
Addressing the participants of the long march, Fawad asked the – rulers – incumbent government to accept the decision of the masses and announce the snap election. He challenged the rulers to ‘come’ and contest election, if they [rulers] feel that the masses are standing by their side.
Taking a swipe at PM Shehbaz Sharif, the PTI stalwart [Fawad] was of the view that the PM ran away to Turkiye due to Imran’s fear – as he came to know that the PTI is chief coming for the long march. Taking a jibe at PM Shehbaz [continuously], he asked PM to make his way to the Airport to meet the PTI leadership there.
Lamenting that the PTI’s mandate was snatched eight months back, Fawad made it clear that the people are not going to make their way back from today’s gathering as – according to him – it is the time to ‘rewrite’ history.
Earlier, the former premier said he is desperate to join the PTI’s long march as he has no more fear of life.
“I am facing life threat since the day I joined politics. I am going to Rawalpindi to send message to the concerned that the nation is now awake and let them free,” he said during an interview to a Britain-based media outlet.
Imran Khan said his wife came to know about gun attack on him through media. “She assumed I am well, but actually I received three bullets. It was almost impossible to survive in the assassination attempt, but fortunately I escaped life attempt.”
The PTI chief said those who hatched conspiracy to assassinate him [Imran Khan] were sitting at key positions.
He claimed the Wazirabad attack was not the first one as earlier his chopper had to make an emergency landing in flood-stricken areas and he was told by the pilot that there was something fishy with fuel.
Responding to a question, Imran Khan said he had no issue with the snap election as their popularity was growing with each passing day.
He was of the view that he could not break relations with the United States merely because of regime change conspiracy, saying he always valued relations between Pakistan and the US.
On the other hand, the police have advised PTI Chairman Imran Khan to wear bulletproof jacket for the rally and keep his movement secret.
As per the notification sent by police to PTI leadership, it has been said in the letter that the instructions of the police should be ensured for VIP security.
The Rawalpindi police have further suggested that a bulletproof rostrum must be installed for the former premier and he must wear a bulletproof jacket. It was also advised that Imran Khan must not come out of his car in a public place.
Police advise Imran Khan to wear bulletproof jacket, keep movement secret
Ahead of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) jalsa (public gathering) in Rawalpindi, the police have advised PTI Chairman Imran Khan to wear bulletproof jacket for the rally and keep his movement secret.
As per the notification sent by police to PTI leadership, it has been said in the letter that the instructions of the police should be ensured for VIP security.
The Rawalpindi police have further suggested that a bulletproof rostrum must be installed for the former premier and he must wear a bulletproof jacket. It was also advised that Imran Khan must not come out of his car in a public place.
Rallies from different parts of the country are travelling to the garrison city of Rawalpindi to resume PTI’s long march as Imran Khan wants to mount pressure on the government for fresh elections.
The PTI chief will also rejoin the major rally in his first public appearance since an assassination attempt earlier this month, when he sustained bullet wounds after his long march was attacked near Wazirabad city of Punjab. Since then, he has been addressing the crowds via video link before he halted the “Haqeeqi Azadi” march till November 26.
The PTI has shared various videos on its official Twitter handle, showing convoys moving towards the Rawalpind for public gathering.
A large convoy can been seen leaving Gilgit-Baltistan for the Pindi Jalsa as party supporters are enthusiastic to listen to their leader Imran Khan.
The PTI has once again changed the venue from Faizabad to Rehmanabad on Murree Road while the Imran Khan’s helicopter will land at Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University from where he will head to the venue for the major rally.
The deputy commissioner Rawalpindi said that the PTI had been granted permission to hold the public meeting at Rehmanabad, adding that the party has been asked to implement the conditions laid down for the event.
Earlier, the party was scheduled to stage the power show at Faizabad.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Friday said that his party will continue to mount pressure on the incumbent government till elections.
Speaking to a TV channel – in an interview – ahead of the PTI’s power show, the PTI chief said, “I am making my way to Rawalpindi for the nation’s sake. My nation will make its way to join the PTI power show, merely for me”. He highlighted the quality of the Army Chief, saying that no Army Chief could stand against the interest of his own institution.
Giving his clear-cut views over holding talks with the rulers of the incumbent government, Imran reiterated that talks would only be held over the matter of elections.
It is pertinent to mention here that earlier Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had also asked PTI leadership to postpone their rally as Imran Khan’s life is in danger.
ISLAMABAD: The traders of Islamabad moved Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) proposed sit-in and road blockades in the federal capital ahead of it.
The petition stated that the protests were being staged in the federal capital at regular intervals since the change of government in April.
It added that PTI’s proposed long march has caused the roads to be blocked.
Explaining the hardships faced by the businessmen due to demonstrations, the petitioner added that the fundamental rights of the citizens were also being affected.
The traders have pleaded with the court to direct government to ensure smooth traffic flow along with instructing PTI to stage protest outside Islamabad.
The interior minister joint secretary will appear before the IHC on Monday.
ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to introduce the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) as a pilot project in Islamabad.
The system is being designed in a way that would also facilitate pedestrians’ crossing, particularly during peak hours of traffic.
The CDA Chairman Captain (r) Muhammad Usman Younis invited students of the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) who gave a presentation on the system.
The CDA management was apprised that the camera-based system would be linked to the control room. The signals will continue to switch from red to green and green to red automatically to facilitate the movement of traffic and pedestrians.
The Chairman directed to test the system at a crossing having a heavy load of traffic. He also directed Islamabad Traffic Police that the system could be linked with Safe City Project.
SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Pakistan sought “climate justice” at an international climate summit (COP27) and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on the international community to take joint responsibility for climate change.
“In Pakistan, more than 30 million people have been severely affected; floods caused widespread destruction due to unusual rains; 8-thousand-km-long roads, 3-thousand-km-long railway tracks were affected,” the prime minister said while addressing the COP27 UN climate summit.
The premier’s two-day visit concluded following high-level engagements at the summit and its sidelines where he also conducted bilateral meetings with his counterparts.
At the summit — alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre — the premier co-chaired a high-level roundtable discussion on “Climate Change and the sustainability of vulnerable communities”.
World leaders, policymakers and delegates from nearly 200 countries are in Egypt at the summit, which delegates had kicked off with a deal to discuss compensating poor nations for mounting damage linked to global warming.
The prime minister highlighted that Pakistan has suffered losses worth $30 billion despite its carbon emissions being one of the lowest in the world.
“The [climate change] affected countries have to deal with this challenge with their own resources. Environmental justice requires that all countries take joint responsibility,” he said.
PM Shehbaz said the world has time and again discussed climate change, but no substantial results have come out of those discussions.
He noted that in Pakistan, wheat, edible oil, and other goods have to be imported now after the floods destroyed agricultural crops. “On the one hand there’s such a huge disaster and lack of resources and on the other hand import costs are major challenges.”
The prime minister said Pakistan requires billions of dollars for the rehabilitation of the flood-affected people and called upon the international community to aid the country.
During his visit, the PM attended the “Middle East Green Initiative Summit” hosted by the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Salman and participated in a high-level breakfast event on “Scaling up action and support on losses and damages-the Global Shield Against Climate Risks” which was co-hosted by the Chancellor of Germany and President of Ghana.
The prime minister, at the summit, called for establishing a dedicated financing facility to address climate-induced ‘loss and damage’ and welcomed the agreement to formally discuss funding arrangements for loss and damage under the COP27 Agenda.
The regular component of the COP27 would continue till November 18, 2022. In its capacity as the incumbent chair of G77 and China, Pakistan is leading the developing countries in the climate change negotiations, including in the thematic areas such as climate finance, adaptation, mitigation, and capacity building.
Earlier, he attended a high-level round-table at COP27 on the “Scaling up Action and Support on Losses and Damages — the Global Shield Against Climate Risks”.
During the round-table, the prime minister underscored that vulnerable developing countries such as Pakistan were already witnessing unprecedented devastating impacts of climate change, even though they have contributed very little to it.
He underlined that the issue of “loss and damage” was one of the key priorities for Pakistan and welcomed its inclusion as an agenda item of COP27.
The prime minister briefed the participants on the situation in the flood-hit areas of Pakistan and the actions being taken by the Government for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of flood-impacted areas.
The event was jointly hosted by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo on the significant topic of ‘Loss and Damage’ associated with Climate Change.
The meeting was attended by a number of heads of state and government.
He highlighted that it was for the first time that the COP had agreed to formally discuss funding arrangements for loss and damage, achieved through a persistent push by the developing countries under Pakistan’s chairmanship of Group of 77 and China.
