Pakistani minister insists on discussing ‘loss and damage’ at climate conference in Egypt
Pakistani minister insists on discussing ‘loss and damage’ at climate conference in Egypt/node/2201506/pakistan
Pakistani minister insists on discussing ‘loss and damage’ at climate conference in Egypt
Sherry Rehman, minister of climate change for Pakistan, attends a news conference on loss and damage finance inaction at the COP27 U.N. Climate Summit, on November 17, 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. (AP)
Pakistani minister insists on discussing ‘loss and damage’ at climate conference in Egypt
Sherry Rehman says recent floods in Pakistan show how people who have done little to cause climate change are being hit hard
The minister points out the world must learn to work together and bring some focus and real ambition for climate justice
Updated 17 November 2022
AP
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt: Pakistan’s climate minister Sherry Rehman said on Thursday developing countries would continue to press hard for a deal on the issue of ‘loss and damage’ at this year’s UN climate talks in Egypt.
Rehman told reporters that the group of countries she chairs, known as G77 and China, wants “at the very least a political announcement of intent” on rich polluters providing new financial aid to poor nations for the effects of global warming.
She made clear that she didn’t expect “a slew of finance” to result from the meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh but added that “if this continues to be kicked down the road we will see it as a climate justice denied.”
Rehman said she was aware that some countries “are anxious about liabilities and judicial proceedings.”
“I think we can work around all those anxieties,” she said. “The idea here is not to make any one country or group of countries uncomfortable or put them in an adversarial position.”
But she said the recent devastating floods in her own country, causing tens of billions of dollars in damage, showed how people who have done little to cause climate change are being hit hard.
“That dystopia that came to our doorstep will come to everyone’s,” she said. “So before it comes to that point, let’s learn to work together and bring some focus and real ambition for climate justice and delivery on joint goals.”
ISLAMABAD: Khairullah Khan, a 50-year-old taxi driver, remembers a time when he could fill his tank with cheap fuel to drive passengers across the Pakistani capital and take home enough money for food, drink and a decent life for his wife and nine children.
Today, spiraling fuel costs and soaring inflation mean he is left at the end of a busy day with less than a few dollars in earnings.
Last week, parked under a tree near a bustling market in Islamabad, Khan waited for customers but said rising fuel costs had driven most of his clients away.
On Sept. 15, Pakistan announced a record rise in petrol and diesel prices — by 26.02 rupees to 331.38 rupees a liter and by 17.34 rupees to 329.18 rupees a liter, respectively — the second big increase in two weeks for the South Asian nation already struggling with high inflation. A $3 billion loan program, approved by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in July, averted a sovereign debt default in Pakistan but reforms linked to the bailout have fueled annual inflation running at 27.4 percent.
“We have no work, no income, we are ready to kill ourselves,” Khan, who has been plying the streets of Islamabad since 1991, told Arab News. “It has become very difficult to make ends meet now.”
Khairullah Khan, a 50-year-old taxi driver, is pictured sitting in a roadside cafe in Islamabad, Pakistan on September 19, 2023. (AN photo)
Khan complained that customers were now unwilling to pay the high cost of rides that drivers were forced to charge due to new fuel prices.
“When we raise the fares, people argue that they are not responsible for the fuel prices so why should they pay higher costs,” the cabbie said.
Yellow cab driver Talib Hussain, 47, said now even “middle class people” could not afford taxi rides.
“I have not had any customers since morning, neither have any other cabbies standing here,” he said, pointing to a line of cabs behind his car.
Hussain said he used to make almost Rs25,000 ($85.6) per month last year but now took home barely Rs 8-10,000 ($27-34) monthly.
“If we [family] were eating thrice a day [last year], now we can only afford to eat one meal per day. Earlier my kids used to go to school by a van but now they have to walk to school every day. I have enrolled them in a government school because I could not afford to pay for private schools.”
An employee waits for customers at a fuel station in Islamabad, Pakistan on September 25, 2023. (AN photo)
Many drivers who work with ride hailing apps like Uber, Careem, Bykea and InDrive reported a 50-60 percent decrease in average income compared to last year.
“The way fuel prices have increased, the rates per kilometer have not been increased the same way [by the ride-hailing company] which has resulted in a 50-60 percent drop in our incomes,” part time cabbie Naveed Alam said.
“If I was saving Rs 1,000 ($3.42) per day from this work last year, now I can barely save Rs600 ($2) … Customers have decreased, and fuel prices have doubled, which has reduced our income manifold.”
An InDrive bike rider who only identified himself by his first name, Usman, said he earned Rs1,000 ($3.42) per ride last year while burning Rs200 ($0.68) on fuel.
“Now for the same job, the fuel costs us around Rs 500-600 ($2),” he said, adding that maintenance costs for his bike had also doubled. “The fuel costs have almost doubled, and inflation has also increased so much, which has made our lives very difficult.”
Many cab drivers said the price hikes were forcing them to seek alternative means of livelihood, an uphil task, or get a second job.
“We toil for over 18 hours a day, yet we are unable to cover our expenses,” said Vilayat Khan, a cab driver in Islamabad who has been associated with the profession for the last 28 years. “But to start any other work we need investment, but we don’t have any money to invest, we don’t even own the cars we are driving.”
Bykea motorcycle driver Haider Ali Bykea said he saw no silver lining in the clouds:
“People like us will be forced to end our lives … what else can we do? I have five kids, how do I feed them? How is a poor man supposed to survive?”
ISLAMABAD: Punjab’s interim health minister Dr. Javed Akram announced on Tuesday an experimental medication suspected of causing vision loss among dozens of diabetics across the province was administered by hospitals without following proper procedures that included obtaining “informed consent” from patients.
Nearly 70 individuals from various districts in Punjab reported eye infections leading to blindness in recent weeks after receiving injections of Avastin. The medication is primarily used to treat cancer but is also prescribed off-label in Pakistan for diabetic retinopathy-related edema.
Pakistan imposed a temporary ban on the drug earlier this week after patients began losing their vision and initiated an inquiry to assign responsibility.
In a media briefing in Lahore, the provincial health minister said the off-label use of any medication required prior authorization from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).
“This did not happen,” he clarified. “Moreover, the good clinical practice of securing informed consent [from patients in such cases] was also not followed.”
Dr. Akram emphasized that it was mandatory to seek a patient’s consent “in the local language when administering an experimental drug.”
He disclosed that the government had now decided to require audiovisual recordings from hospital authorities, demonstrating that patients had been clearly informed of the benefits and risks associated with off-label medication use.
The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to bringing those responsible for this criminal negligence to justice and confirmed that Avastin would be available only for cancer treatment while the inquiry continued.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s interim information technology minister Umar Saif said on Tuesday his team had prepared the draft of the National Artificial Intelligence Policy and was currently in consultation with relevant stakeholders to finalize it by December.
Artificial intelligence, often abbreviated as AI, refers to the development of computer systems that can perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence. These tasks include learning from data, recognizing patterns, making decisions, and solving problems. AI aims to create machines that can mimic human-like thinking and decision-making processes.
With this technology becoming more readily accessible, governments and private sectors across the world are beginning to reap its benefit while performing day-to-day functions. Pakistan’s planning ministry also acknowledged in April the AI incorporation in different government sectors would lead to better decision-making processes, personalized medical treatments, and enhanced learning experiences and solutions that were previously unattainable.
“There are far reaching consequences of this policy,” the information minister told Arab News in a brief conversation. “We have put it for public consultation. There is a draft which helped us get public comments from outside as well as inside the country … We need to train people to develop AI skills according to the policy since they can be quite valuable.”
“My goal is to finalize and notify this AI policy by December,” he continued.
Syed Junaid Imam, the spokesperson for the information technology ministry, also informed Arab News the country’s official artificial intelligence would be finalized after consultation with all stakeholders before being sent to the federal cabinet for approval.
“It is based on four main points,” he said while sharing details. “Enabling AI through awareness and readiness, AI market enablement, building a progressive and trusted environment, and its transformation and evolution.”
A recent notification by the information ministry said it was “forming a policy committee that will lead the policy consultation process and finalize the draft,” adding that the members of the committee would have experts from industry, academia and the government.
“The National AI Policy is crafted to focus on the equitable distribution of opportunity and its responsible use, having the defining attributes such as evidence-based and target oriented, user-centric and forward-looking, objective and overarching,” according to the draft of the policy, a copy of which was seen by the Arab News.
The draft also outlined how Pakistan would collaborate with other countries to share best practices and expertise in the AI field.
“The policy proposed the establishment of an AI regulatory directorate that ensures the ethical and responsible use of AI,” it read.
The draft policy also addressed the potential job displacement that could result from the global proliferation of the new technology.
“AI can help to promote economic growth by encouraging investment in AI research and development which can lead to the creation of new jobs and industries, as well as improved productivity and efficiency,” it said.
It further stated that owing to the impact of artificial globally, the Pakistani government envisioned embracing it by appreciating human intelligence and stimulating a hybrid intelligence ecosystem for equitable, responsible and transparent AI use.
KARACHI: In a move marking an expansion of energy ties between the two countries, the Russian diplomatic mission in Islamabad confirmed the delivery of 100,000 metric tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to Pakistan through Iran on Tuesday.
The delivery follows an earlier government-to-government (G2G) deal that saw Pakistan import 100,000 tons of discounted Russian crude oil on June 11, which prompted former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to describe it as a “transformative day” for the economically struggling South Asian nation.
The LPG shipment, announced by the Russian embassy in a social media post, comes as Pakistan seeks to diversify its energy portfolio with more affordable options.
“Russia has delivered the first batch of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the amount of 100 thousand metric tons to Pakistan through Iran’s Sarakhs Special Economic Zone,” it said on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “Consultations on the second shipment are underway.”
Russia has delivered the first batch of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the amount of 100 thousand metric tons to Pakistan through Iran's Sarakhs Special Economic Zone. Consultations on the second shipment are underway pic.twitter.com/AZJwf5f9I5
Pakistan has already started blending Russian oil with imported crude from the Gulf markets.
Zahid Mir, a top official at Pakistan Oil Refinery, told Arab News last month that the Russian crude had been successfully processed by the country, adding that the spot deal with Moscow was both technically and commercially viable.
He also informed negotiations for further cargo imports were underway.
Pakistan plans to import about 20 percent of its crude oil from Russia at discounted rates to meet its growing energy demand.
It meets about 43 percent of its LPG requirement, with a total annual consumption of 4,600 metric tons, through local production, according to data compiled by the Petroleum Club of Pakistan.
Pakistani officials could not be approached for comments on the story.
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan men’s cricket team left for India late Tuesday night to participate in the 50-over World Cup, which kicks off on Oct. 5.
It is the first time in seven years that the South Asian country is sending its cricket team to India. The last time Pakistan’s men’s cricket team set foot on Indian soil was in 2016 to take part in that year’s T20 World Cup.
Political tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors mean they only play against each other at international venues. Skipper Babar Azam’s side will play two warm-up matches against New Zealand and Australia on Sept. 29 and Oct. 3 respectively before they begin their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on Oct. 6.
Pakistan's World Cup squad gets photographed in Lahore, Pakistan, before departing to India for the upcoming Cricket World Cup on September 26, 2023.(Photo courtesy: @TheRealPCB/X)
“Pakistan cricket team are at the Lahore airport to depart for India to participate in the World Cup,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement.
A short video clip shared by the PCB showed Azam, vice-captain Shadab Khan, and the other cricketers enjoying snacks at the airport lounge before their departure.
“The travel contingent consists 18 players and 13 player support personnel,” the PCB said, adding that South African bowling coach Morne Morkel will join the team in Dubai while former Pakistan coach and current Team Director Mickey Arthur will join the squad in India.
“Pakistan are scheduled to land in Hyderabad, India at 8:15pm (local time) on 27 September,” the PCB said.
In his pre-departure press conference, Azam told reporters the team was enjoying a “very high morale” heading into the showpiece tournament.
“We are leaving tonight for the World Cup and as a team our morale is very high, there is confidence,” Azam said. “We will try to play our best cricket.
“We could not deliver up to the mark [in Asia Cup], but we learned from it. We just don’t point out our errors, but we also talk about how to improve those sides.”
Pakistan started the Asia Cup on a high note, beating minnows Nepal and Bangladesh and also bowling India out for 266 in the group fixture match between the two sides on Sept. 2.
However, the hosts suffered a mammoth defeat of 228 runs at India’s hands in the Super Four stage of the tournament before a last-ball defeat against Sri Lanka meant they couldn’t qualify for the final.
Only two players from Pakistan’s current squad have traveled to India before: Mohammad Nawaz, who was part of Pakistan’s 2016 T20 World Cup squad, and Agha Salman, who was in the Lahore Lions’ squad for the Champions League T20.
“I’m very excited to play in Ahmedabad. It is the biggest stadium in the world and will be jam-packed for the India-Pakistan clash,” Azam said about playing in India for the first time in his years-long career.
“I have spoken to former cricketers about the condition and they are not that different … I will try to perform to the best of my ability. I can’t exactly tell you how I will do since I’m not an astrologer.”
