ISLAMABAD: Care­ta­ker Prime Minister Anw­a­arul Haq Kakar will plead Pakistan’s case as one of the worst affected countries by the impact of climate change at a key session of the upcoming 28th Conference of Parties (COP-28) scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates on Dec 1-2.

“Despite its less than one per cent imprints on the global climate change factors, Pakistan is amon­gst the countries hugely affected by these chan­ges,” the prime minister said while presiding over an inter-provincial review meeting on Wednesday.

PM Kakar said climate change was an issue of nat­ional endurance for countries like Pakistan and obs­erved that Islam­abad was playing a positive role in the global climate debate th­­rough climate diplomacy.

“One-third of the country’s population is badly affected by the climate induced floods,” he added.

According to the Prime Minister Office, the meeting was attended by caretaker federal ministers for finance, foreign affairs, climate change and planning, and relevant officials.

The prime minister lau­ded the relevant instituti­o­­ns and organisations of the country for their role in the reconstruction efforts during the post-flood period.

He directed the authorities concerned to make full preparations for presenting Pakistan’s stance during the COP-28 on climate finance and other issues effectively.

Power sector

Presiding over a meeting on power sector reforms in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the caretaker PM said it was the responsibility of the fe­­deration to ensure an equitable distribution of resou­rces among all provinces.

He said the federal government will ensure the protection of the rights of people of all provinces, including KP.

The caretaker PM directed the Wapda officials to remove obstacles in the way of the payment of net hydel profit to KP on a priority basis.

He said that construction of water reservoirs and hydropower projects in the country should be completed on priority.

“There should not be any interruption in the ongoing projects for better irrigation and low-cost en­­viron­ment-friendly electr­icity generation,” he added.

The prime minister was briefed about the ongoing hydropower projects and the construction of water reservoirs across the country, especially KP.

PM Kakar was also brie­fed on the law and order si­­tuation in KP and he dir­e­c­ted the authorities concer­ned to release funds allocated for the province for counter-terrorism plans.

Zamindar Action Committee

The caretaker PM also chaired a meeting on the solarisation of tube wells in Balochistan.

During the meeting with a 15-member delegation of Zamindar Action Commit­tee headed by Ka­­zim Ach­a­kzai, Mr Kakar directed the authorities concerned to accelerate the process of solarisation of tube wells in the province.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2023