WASHINGTON: Pakistan has urged upon the international community to find collective solutions to dealing with the challenges of climate change and its dire consequences for the planet.
Speaking in ‘This is America and The World” program broadcast by the leading ‘Public Broadcasting Service’ (PBS), Pakistan’s Ambassador to US Masood Khan said the floods in Pakistan and the hurricane in Florida has “proved that even if you are a developed country like the United States you have the same challenges when it comes to climate change although you have better, resilient infrastructure.”
Referring to recent havoc created by devastating flood across the country, he said that Pakistan needed massive support from the international community for rehabilitation and reconstruction, adding that debt restructuring would provide Pakistan with much needed fiscal space enabling it to allocate its resources for building climate resilient infrastructure for its people.
When asked about Pak-US relations, Ambassador Masood Khan said that two countries were pursuing a positive agenda. He said the bilateral relations between the two countries should not be confined to strategic objectives alone. “We must strengthen our cooperation in the economic, trade, investment, energy and climate sector,” continued Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Stated.
Encouraging US investors to reap the benefits offered by Pak economy, especially in the tech sector, Masood Khan observed that “there will be exponential growth (in the sector) because of increase in human capital, tech savvy young population.”
To a question regarding use of nuclear weapons, Ambassador Masood Khan said that nuclear capability is acquired and designed basically for deterrence and equilibrium. The actual use of nuclear weapons could trigger a global catastrophe. He said all countries, particularly the ones having nuclear weapons, should demonstrate restraint and responsibility.
