Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said that climate change has emerged as one of the most potent challenges facing the world. He said that the flood catastrophe that Pakistan was experiencing was climate-induced. He said that the massive economic damage on top of the economic crisis had undermined Pakistan’s capacity to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He asked the international community to step forward and help Pakistan deal with this calamity of epic proportions. The Prime Minister made these remarks while talking to H.E. Mr. Duarte Pacheco, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), who called on him in the PM House in Islamabad today. Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Division Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Special Assistants to Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi and Ms. Romina Khursheed Alam were also present on the occasion. The Prime Minister asked the Inter-Parliamentary Union to play its role in raising awareness about the horrors of climate change and help mobilize global support for the developing countries facing the climate crisis due to global warming. He said that the world should pursue climate justice as an ideal to deal with the threat, which was real and redefining our lives. The Prime Minister said that despite its shortcomings, democracy was still the best system in the world that was a vehicle to realize people’s aspirations. He termed fake news as one of the major challenges facing democracy. The Prime Minister mentioned the worst human rights abuses in Indian Occupied Kashmir, particularly after August 5, 2019, and said that the violation of fundamental human rights had exposed the so-called democratic face of India. H.E. Mr. Duarte Pacheco, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), expressed condolence on the loss of precious human lives during the recent floods and expressed his grief over the massive havoc caused to the infrastructure across the country. He supported Pakistan's case with respect to climate change and stressed upon the developed countries to make strategy to control the carbon emissions. Mr. Duarte Pacheco appreciated the National Assembly of Pakistan for organizing the 3rd IPU Regional Seminar of the Asia Pacific Region on Achieving Sustainable Development Goals. He said that the event would help synergise regional efforts to achieve SDGs. **********
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