Shehbaz Sharif directs NDMA to develop coordinated prevention plan with provinces
ISLAMABAD: In the wake of the recent Swat disaster, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to work closely with provincial counterparts to devise a comprehensive and coordinated programme aimed at preventing similar tragedies in the future.
During his visit to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) in Islamabad on Tuesday, the prime minister stressed the importance of proactive planning and called for detailed incident reports, noting that 49 lives have been lost across the country due to recent calamities, with many others injured.
Praising the NEOC’s state-of-the-art capabilities, PM Shehbaz assured full government support to enhance the authority’s institutional strength and disaster response capacity.
He added that Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik have been instructed to secure grants and investments—not loans—via public-private partnerships to help finance climate-resilient infrastructure.
India, Water Security, and Climate Change
Turning to water security, the premier expressed concern over India’s increasingly provocative stance on the Indus Waters Treaty. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to building non-controversial water storage projects using Pakistan’s own resources to strengthen national resilience.
He further highlighted Pakistan’s growing vulnerability to climate change, noting that unpredictable weather patterns—including an increased risk of cloudbursts and sudden glacial melt events—pose serious threats, despite Pakistan contributing minimally to global carbon emissions.
The prime minister’s remarks underline a broader push toward disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, and sustainable infrastructure, as Pakistan braces for the worsening impacts of environmental change.
