Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry addresses the National Assembly during Wednesday’s session. Photo:
ISLAMABAD:
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Friday informed the Senate that more than 80 per cent of the international pledges made during the 2022 floods were in the form of soft loans instead of grants.
Responding to questions during Question Hour, the minister said Pakistan ultimately received less than 50 per cent of the total amount promised, with most of the commitments tied to phased disbursement conditions and frameworks.
The government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif decided that the losses caused by the recent natural disasters would be covered at the national level, he said.
He said the federal and Punjab governments compensated the affected families from national resources.
The minister said Pakistan had signed 16 climate-related international agreements since 1990. These agreements covered global commitments on climate adaptation, mitigation, environmental protection and resilience building, he said.
Regarding international financing mechanisms, he said Pakistan is currently participating in three major programmes, including the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Adaptation Fund Projects.
Replying to another question, he said climate change was a global crisis that required global attention and Pakistan would continue to highlight its vulnerabilities in all diplomatic forums.
