Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to defend his right to water, qualifying the Indo River as the “life line” of the people of Pakistan, in his message on the “day of the world to combat desertification and drought.”
Observed on June 17 every year, the annual day stands out the global urgency against drought. The 2025 Climate Risk Index classifies Pakistan first among the 10 main countries most affected by extreme climatic events in 2022, with more than 68 percent of its land area now classified as arid or semi -arid. Prolonged droughts in Baluchistan, Sindh and South Punjab continue to push poverty vulnerable communities.
In a statement issued by the prime minister’s office, Prime Minister Shehbaz gave alarm for the unilateral action of India to maintain the swing of the Indo water in suspense, describing it as “serious concern.”
“There is no disposition for such actions under the treaty, and the Indo’s waters are the life line of the 240 million people of Pakistan,” he added, promising to defend Pakistan’s right to water.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to international obligations, “particularly those agreements that are vital for regional peace.” Prime Minister Shehbaz also promised to accelerate efforts to improve the country’s domestic water storage capacity.
On the subject of the Earth, the Prime Minister said that “almost 50 percent of our land area is affected by several forms of degradation driven by deforestation, excessive grazing, salinity, flooding and unplanned urbanization.”
These problems get worse because of climate change, which has “intensified the frequency and severity of droughts, forest fires and floods,” the statement added, citing the floods of 2022 and the dry spells recurrent to highlight the problem scale.
He stressed the importance of Earth as an asset for Pakistan food security, water availability, biodiversity conservation and rural livelihoods.
More than one million km of productive land, around 113 % of the total land area of Pakistan, is lost worldwide for degradation every year, which requires $ 1 billion in daily investments for restoration between 2025 and 2030, according to the United Nations Convention for Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
The prime minister praised this year’s issue, “restore the Earth. Unlock opportunities”, as a “timely call” for the restoration of the degraded land. He stressed that restoration is “essential not only for climatic resilience but also to unlock social, economic and environmental benefits.”
Detailing government efforts towards climate resilience, declared that the sustainable management of the land and the restoration of the ecosystem remain “key pillars” of the government’s climate resilience agenda.
Historical initiatives such as the reduction of the Green Pakistan program have resulted in the plantation of more than 2.2 billion plants, he observed.
The statement cited it by saying: “We are also implementing the National Climate Change Policy and the National Adaptation Plan to guide the integrated use of the Earth and improve ecological integrity.
“These policy frames are aligned with our commitments under the United Nations Convention to combat desertification (UNCCD), to which Pakistan has been part since 1997.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz urged all interested parties to join the hands to restore degraded land and ensure a climate resistant future for future generations.
In March, the Department of Meteorology of Pakistan (PMD) issued a drought alert for Sindh, Baluchistan and Punjab due to poor rain.
