ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday urged the world to fulfill its responsibilities to protect developing countries like Pakistan from adverse effects of climate change, after a snow avalanche killed at least 9 people and injured 25 others in the country’s north.
The avalanche hit members of a nomadic tribe who were on their way to Astore district in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region via Azad Kashmir. The nomads, called ‘bakarwal,’ bring their cattle from Punjab to the mountainous north every summer because of its lush green pastures.
PM Sharif said he was deeply aggrieved over the loss of precious lives in the avalanche and praying Almighty to grant patience to the bereaved relatives.
“Such incidents are increasing in Pakistan due to climate change,” the prime minister said on Twitter.
“The entire world will have to fulfill its responsibilities to save developing countries like Pakistan, which are already facing economic difficulties, from these adverse effects.”
Pakistan is among ten countries most affected by climate change. Last year, climate-induced floods wreaked havoc in the South Asian country, killing more than 1,700 people.
The deluges affected around 33 million people and inundated a third of the country at one point, causing more than 30 billion economic losses.
