Canadian minister expresses support for dealing with floods

ISLAMABAD: Canada’s Minister of International Development Mr Harjit Sajjan has expressed his deep sympathies for the flood victims and hoped for early rehabilitation and reconstruction.

A delegation led by Mr Harjit Sajjan called on Minister of State Hina Rabbani Khar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Appreciating their visit to Pakistan at a critical time, the minister of state thanked Mr Sajjan and accompanying members of the delegation for showing solidarity with the flood victims.

She underlined the vast scale of devastation caused by the catastrophic floods which have affected more than 33 million people, destroyed critical infrastructure, and washed away four million acres of crops. She added that the calamity will have a long-term adverse impact on food security, health, and the economy in Pakistan.

The Minister of State stressed that Pakistan, despite contributing less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, was bearing brunt of the climate crisis.

She underlined the urgent need for unified and decisive action by the international community to combat climate change and enhance climate financing to build resilience, especially in vulnerable developing countries.

She further emphasized that, although the government was engaged in rescue and relief efforts, reconstruction and rehabilitation will require effective mobilization and long-term commitment of resources by the international community.

As Pakistan has been impacted by devastating flooding, I will be on the ground this week. I’m meeting with affected communities, humanitarian partners and officials to see how Canada can best support those in Pakistan whose lives have been upended by this tragic climate disaster. pic.twitter.com/eKncFRooOH

— Harjit Sajjan (@HarjitSajjan) September 12, 2022

Both sides discusses bilateral relations between Pakistan and Canada and expressed satisfaction at the growing depth of ties between both countries.

Ms Khar noted that Canadian development projects in Pakistan have contributed toward women empowerment and socio-economic uplift. She expressed desire for cooperation in climate change, agriculture, and people-to-people contacts.

Mr Sajjan maintained that Canada was committed towards supporting Pakistan in dealing with aftermath of the floods and efforts to build climate-resilient structures.

It must be noted that Sajjan is leading a Canadian delegation to Pakistan to assess the level of devastation caused by floods. The delegation also includes three Pakistani-origin Members of Canadian Parliament namely Iqra Khalid, Salma Zahid, and Shafqat Ali.

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