Islamabad, 13 September 2022 (TDI): The President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, stated that Pakistan will always support the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) objective of working for peace, democracy, human rights, gender equality, youth empowerment, and sustainable development through political discussion, collaboration, and parliamentary activity.
He made these remarks when speaking with the President of the IPU, Duarte Pacheco, who had called on him.
Chairman of the Senate, Senator Faisal Saleem Rahman, and Ambassador of the Portuguese Republic to Pakistan, Paulo Neves Pocinho accompanied the delegation.
Discussion on the matter of conflict resolution in IIOJK
Talking to the delegation, President Alvi said that Pakistan had high expectations of IPU, notably with respect to playing an important position in the resolution of conflict and upholding human rights in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
He expressed the hope that IPU would take note of the continued Islamophobia in India and the rise in the cases of persecution and intimidation of Muslims in India.
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Discussion on the destruction caused by the floods
While addressing the severity of recent floods in Pakistan, the President stated that the recent severe flooding had been a wake-up call to the world to take serious, impactful, and productive measures and actions on a war footing to cut carbon emissions and avert the devastation due to climate change in many places around the world, particularly in Pakistan.
He highlighted the fact that Pakistan was bearing the brunt of the effects of global warming despite generating just under 1% of global carbon emissions. He urged the IPU to adopt legislative action to mitigate the detrimental consequences of climate change.
According to the President, Pakistan cannot undertake the massive burden of rehabilitating 33 million flood victims and rebuilding millions of homes and essential infrastructure on its own. He urged the developed world to step forward and assist Pakistan in dealing with the destruction caused by global warming-induced catastrophic floods.
Remarks of the IPU President
While expressing his heartfelt sympathies for the deaths of flood victims, President Pacheco expressed his concerns over the loss of infrastructure in most sections of the country.
He stated that the IPU, as a multilateral body, tackles global concerns since no one state can handle global challenges without the collaborative assistance of other states.
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