LAHORE: British High Commissioner Christian Turner says climate change is affecting the whole world, including Pakistan and the UK, and working on the environment is the need of the hour.

He was speaking during a meeting with Governor Balighur Rehman at Governor’s House to discuss flood situation in Pakistan, environment issues and promotion of bilateral trade.

Mr Turner expressed grief over the loss of life and property due to floods in Pakistan. He expressed solidarity with the flood-affected people of Punjab and the rest of Pakistan while appreciating the initiative of forming a consortium on environment in the universities of Punjab.

The governor thanked Mr Turner for expressing solidarity with the flood victims.

Mr Rehman said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had taken all the institutions and provinces on board to rehabilitate the flood victims, adding that he was also visiting the flood-hit areas and allocating funds for the rehabilitation of the flood victims.

The governor welcomed the announcement of incentives for Pakistani exports in the UK’s Developing Countries Trade Scheme (DCTS) and hoped that a free trade agreement between the two countries would start soon.

Meanwhile, in connection with the World Literacy Day, the governor said the state had a constitutional and moral responsibility to provide free and quality education to every child. He said the country could progress only by equipping the country with education.

Mr Rehman urged the teachers to focus on the moral training and character-building of children in schools. He said the number of out-of-school children had decreased significantly between 2013 and 2018 but it had unfortunately increased again. He said the government should provide resources for education and ensure children’s access to school while improving the quality of education.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2022