UN Chief Visits Pakistan to Coordinate Global Response to Floods as PM Sharif Faces Backlash

10:17 GMT, 9 September 2022
© AP Photo
Dhairya Maheshwari
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According to officials, floods have resulted in more than $12Bln of economic losses and affected the food security situation in Pakistan. Meanwhile, the country’s former PM Imran Khan has escalated his attacks on the Shehbaz Sharif government over its flood response, gathering tens of thousands of supporters at his rallies.
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Islamabad on a two-day visit on Friday in a “solidarity” move aimed at coordinating a global response to the devastating floods, which have affected more than 33Mln people and left nearly 1,400 dead.
Guterres was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials involved in rescue and rehabilitation work, a statement by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) read. The UN chief is also set to visit the regions worst affected by the floods, namely Sindh and Balochistan.

An official statement emphasized that Guterres’ visit will help in “raising global awareness” about the massive tragedy, which the Pakistani government says has been caused because of climate change.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry also said that Guterres’ trip will help Islamabad build “resilience” against “future climate shocks” through “sustained international support".

“The UNSG has been consistently stressing the connection such disasters have with the impact of climate change and warning the international community about the existential threat to our planet in case climate change was not tackled in a timely and effective manner,” the government said.

The Secretary General is one of the main advocates of the $160Mln "Flash Appeal", jointly organized by Islamabad to raise funds for flood victims.
Guterres’ visit comes as former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who still enjoys widespread support in the country, has slammed the Sharif government over its response to the country’s economic woes, which have been exacerbated by the floods.
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Khan has said that federal and international flood aid hasn’t been reaching the intended victims in some affected areas because of corruption in the governing center-right Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party also said that the infrastructure damaged by the floods, including bridges and dams, was because poor quality material had been used in its construction.

“Pakistan’s life-long problem has been corruption,” PTI politician Shandana Gulzar told the BBC last month.

Khan has squarely blamed the US for his being ousted in a no-confidence vote in April. He has alleged that he was removed in a parliamentary vote for approaching Moscow for discounted crude oil to ease inflation, which reached a record level of 24.8 percent in July.
Khan's rallies continue to attract thousands of supporters across the country ahead of by-elections for nine National Assembly (NA) seats that fell vacant after lawmakers from Khan’s PTI resigned en masse in the wake of the parliamentary vote in April.

In response, Prime Minister Sharif has accused Khan for exploiting the flood situation for political gain, a charge Khan dismissed by stating that his aim is to win “haqeeqi azadi [complete independence]” for the Pakistani people.

IndiaPakistanfloodsImran KhanShehbaz Sharif
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