The prime minister warned against using water as a weapon, urging countries to honour water-sharing agreements in their true spirit
MM Report
ANTALYA: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for global solidarity and fair, practical measures to address climate change, saying the protection of life on Earth was a shared responsibility that required collective international action.
Addressing the national statement session at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Turkiye, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan was demonstrating its commitment to environmentally friendly development through practical measures and investment in clean energy.
The prime minister stressed that water should never be used as a weapon and called for water-sharing agreements to be implemented in their true spirit. He said cooperation over shared water resources was essential for regional stability and the protection of communities.
Recalling the devastating floods in Buner district in 2025, the prime minister shared the story of a young man whose entire village was swept away by floodwaters just two days before his wedding. He said he had visited the affected families a few days after the disaster and met people who had lost their homes, livelihoods and loved ones.
Shehbaz Sharif said their suffering reflected a much wider climate crisis. Millions of people in Pakistan and other developing countries had contributed the least to global warming but were bearing some of its heaviest consequences.
Referring to the catastrophic floods of 2022, the prime minister said one-third of Pakistan had been submerged, affecting 33 million people and claiming more than 1,700 lives. The economic losses had exceeded $30bn.
Shehbaz Sharif recalled warning the United Nations four years earlier that the climate disaster unfolding in Pakistan would not remain confined to its borders. He said that warning had now become a reality, with the consequences of climate change increasingly affecting communities across the world.
Climate change respected no national boundaries, the prime minister said, adding that no country could deal with its effects alone. He called for international solidarity to move beyond statements and translate into practical measures, fair financing and meaningful cooperation.
Shehbaz Sharif also thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, First Lady Emine Erdogan and the people of Turkiye for their support to Pakistan during the devastating floods of 2010 and 2022.
