Pakistan and AJK worst victims of climate change: AJK President

Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, while terming climate change as a global problem, said on Friday that developing countries including Pakistan were the worst victims of the climatic change.

Addressing a seminar organised by the Azad Kashmir Red Cross and German Red Cross in the state metropolis, the AJK President, while referring to the devastating floods that wreaked havoc in northern and southern parts of the country, said that Pakistan and Azad Kashmir suffered immense losses due to the large-scale floods caused by climate change this year.

The president stated, "We need greater cooperation of the international community, especially global disaster management, to tackle these challenges," referring to the terrible challenges that the people of Pakistan and AJK have been facing."Being an important member of global disaster management, the International Red Cross can be helpful in dealing with natural disasters," he said.

Referring to the cloudburst that hit the Neelum Valley, he said Azad Kashmir has also been affected by climate change. He said that there was a dire need to intensify our efforts to deal with natural calamities in a timely manner so that the damage caused by natural calamities can be minimized.

Barrister Chaudhry further said that developed countries suffer less from climate change because they have better infrastructure and resources.

He appreciated the International Red Cross for providing full support to the victims of the earthquake in 2005. "On behalf of the Government of Azad Kashmir, I assure the Red Cross officials that we will provide them with all facilities and support," the President said.

The seminar was also attended and addressed by AJK Senior Minister Khawaja Farooq Ahmed, Chairman of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society Sardar Shahid Khan Laghari, Head of the German Red Cross Asif Rehman, and others.