Shehbaz, MBS meet for 5th time in 6 months

ISLAMABAD: In their fifth meeting in six months, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud Tuesday emphasized the need for both countries to upgrade their economic, trade and investment ties.

This agreement was reached during the prime minister’s warm and cordial meeting with the crown prince on the sidelines of One-Water Summit in Riyadh on Tuesday. The crown prince spoke of his great pleasure at meeting the Pakistani prime minister for the fifth time over the past six months. He termed it as evidence of the genuine love and affection that connected the people of the two countries.

Both leaders agreed that it was now necessary for the two countries to bring about a qualitative change in their economic, trade and investment relationship. The Crown Prince stressed that it was important to ensure that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enhance meaningful cooperation that will bring about economic growth and prosperity in Pakistan. Both leaders expressed satisfaction at the pace of progress of the implementation of Saudi MoUs and agreements on investment in Pakistan. Shehbaz thanked Salman for his most genuine affection for the people of Pakistan. He reiterated his invitation to the Crown Prince to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience. The Crown Prince responded that he was looking forward to his visit to Pakistan.

Earlier, while addressing the One Water Summit on the Margins of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP-16) under the theme “Restore, Preserve, and Adapt,” in Riyadh, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif underscored the need for strong political will and global leadership to overcome the water crisis posing an existential threat to the nations around the globe.

Expressing his profound gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, France and Kazakhstan, as well as the World Bank, for organizing the timely summit to deliberate on water security, Shehbaz commended the visionary leadership and initiative of the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, to establish the Global Water Organization. “We are proud to join this initiative as one of its founding members and look forward to providing, all possible support, in achieving its important goals,” he said.

Shehbaz said that water was the lifeblood of the planet; a cornerstone of economic development, food security, and environmental sustainability. “This life-sustaining resource, however, is coming under increasing stress. Nearly half of the world’s population is facing water scarcity, for at least part of the year. Billions remain without clean drinking water as water pollution is rising at alarming levels,” he added.

The prime minister underlined that the water resources were fast depleting and degrading which was displacing millions and causing unprecedented destruction. “This is not a distant threat, but an alarm bell, for collective action. Pakistan is no stranger to these challenges. Our rivers, glaciers and aquifers are increasingly vulnerable to the impact of climate change and population growth,” he said.

Shehbaz apprised the leaders at the summit that Pakistan was still grappling with the 2022 catastrophic floods that caused widespread damage to its water resources and irrigation sector, in addition to affecting millions of lives and livelihoods.

At the same time, he said droughts posed an equally potent threat to the country. “Nearly 70pc of our land consists of arid and semi-arid areas and around 30pc of our population is directly affected by drought-like conditions. Projected temperature increases in Pakistan are significantly higher than the global average,” he added. The prime minister highlighted that such catastrophic disasters and challenges were likely to scale up further in the absence of concerted international actions as Pakistan was one of the top 10 countries most vulnerable due to climate change. Commenting on transboundary water management, he said that water transcended political boundaries, connecting nations and fostering shared ecosystems. “The Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the sharing of the Indus Basin’s waters, is one example of such an arrangement.” He added that the treaty witnessed unprecedented challenges in recent years, due to many factors, including the construction of upstream dams whereas its effective functioning was key to maintaining regional peace and stability.

The prime minister also shed light on the ‘Recharge Pakistan’ initiative to address climate-induced flood risks and mitigate drought impacts through ecosystem-based adaptations. “We are also finalizing a ‘National Drought Plan’ that identifies the most drought-affected areas and proposes effective response mechanisms to mitigate the impact of drought in these areas,” he said. Shehbaz proposed a six-point agenda at the global level to overcome water-related challenges. He advocated for the need for international cooperation and collaboration to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”, exchange of knowledge and expertise as well as the transfer of technologies on innovative water management on priority, adequate funding for climate-resilient infrastructure and overcoming financing gap, frameworks for transparency, data sharing and regional cooperation, to avoid conflicts and promote water sharing and institutional strengthening to tackle water challenges at national and global levels and finally a strong political will and global leadership to overcome the water crisis.

The prime minister recalled the joyful scenes of children playing along the rivers that traversed his home city, Lahore, and the fisherfolk and their boats along the River Ravi. “These cherished memories serve as a poignant reminder of what is at stake. As leaders, policymakers and custodians of the future, we have to ensure that these rivers, lakes and aquifers that have nourished civilizations for centuries must not be reduced to tales of the past,” he emphasized.

In a related development, the prime minister held a bilateral meeting with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, on the sidelines of the One Water Summit in Riyadh. The prime minister warmly congratulated President Macron on the successful co-hosting of the One Water Summit in Riyadh. Commending France’s leadership role on climate change and development issues, Shehbaz recalled with appreciation President Macron’s strong advocacy for the people of Pakistan in the wake of the 2022 devastating floods.

Both leaders agreed to enhance Pakistan-France cooperation, especially through business-to-business contacts in the areas of agriculture, livestock, IT, skills development and clean drinking water. Expressing satisfaction at its positive trajectory, they exchanged views on the full spectrum of the Pakistan-France relationship, including political, economic, trade and investment, as well as cooperation at multilateral forums, including the United Nations.

Shehbaz stressed the need to further strengthen mutually advantageous economic and trade ties between the two countries and encouraged France to take advantage of investment opportunities in Pakistan, especially in areas of climate adaptation and renewable energy. Both leaders also reiterated the shared desire of the two sides to remain closely engaged on all regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Earlier in Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said those who violated the law during the 24th November sit-in, damaged public property and killed or injured personnel of law enforcement agencies must be punished following the law. While chairing a meeting of the Task Force, the prime minister said the rioters attacked the capital during the official visit of the president of Belarus, which caused great embarrassment to us. He said a weekly review will be conducted on the progress of legal actions against those spreading chaos.

Shehbaz said that a world-class anti-riot force will be established in line with contemporary global standards. He said a forensic lab will be integrated into Islamabad’s Safe City project, bringing it up to international standards and all necessary resources will be utilized for this purpose. The meeting was informed that evidence such as weapons, shells and other materials collected from the scene of the protest site will be sent for forensic analysis.

The process of identifying the miscreants present at the site of protests is also being completed swiftly and once identified, they will be presented in courts.