STAFF REPORT
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute on Friday to the services rendered by the National Flood Response Coordination Centre (NFRCC) during the unprecedented floods that wreaked havoc all over the country.
The calamitous floods were the tenth most expensive climate disaster to have buffeted a nation over the last decade. The floods inflicted an estimated loss of $3 billion on the country, caused over 1,700 deaths, and displaced eight million people.
Addressing a ceremony at the PM House in honour of the NFRCC officers, the premier commended the coordination between the NFRCC, provincial governments, armed forces, and National Disaster Management Authority to deal with the homogenous challenge posed by the floods.
He highlighted how every available resource was utilised during the flood to help the victims, adding that efforts were underway to cope with the devastating impact of floods.
PM Shehbaz said many villages became inaccessible during the floods but personnel belonging to the armed forces did not leave any stone unturned in reaching and helping them.
“All the relevant departments worked tirelessly during the relief phase and expressed the confidence to overcome this challenge.” He emphasised united efforts on all fronts to steer the country out of all the challenges.
“We have a model in front of us to cope with the flood situation,” the prime minister said. “There is a need to further fine it without any further delay to prepare ourselves and save the country from future disasters.”
He appreciated the work of Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb for highlighting the plight of flood victims at home and abroad.
Talking about the natural resources of the country and how they should be benefitted from, PM Shehbaz said Reko Diq possessed gold and copper resources to the tune of billions of dollars.
“For many years we haven’t been able to dig out even a kilo of gold or copper but lost billions of dollars during the case.” He expressed hope that the country will overcome this challenge one day.
Meanwhile, The Supreme Court on Friday declared the agreement signed with the Canadian company Barrick Gold Corporation for the development of the Reko Diq mine in Balochistan “legal”.
The apex court green-lighted the deal while announcing its unanimous verdict in the presidential reference seeking its opinion on the matter. The 13-page verdict, which was reserved a week ago, was announced by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial yesterday.
The court said that the constitution does not allow legislation against national assets, adding that the provinces can make changes in the laws related to minerals. “There is nothing illegal in the new agreement,” said the court. It added that the agreement was not against the 2013 verdict given by the top court.
The SC also shared that the agreement was not against the environment. The court also noted that the experts had informed it that the agreement was inked between the federal and provincial governments. However, once the Balochistan Assembly was taken into confidence they backed the agreement.
