ISLAMABAD: Nearly two decades on from the calamitous Oct 8, 2005, earthquake that ripped through Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and northern Pakistan, the country’s leaders called for the creation of contingency plans that would help build national resilience in the wake of natural disasters.

In a message on the occasion of National Resilience Day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the day is a motivation for “all of us to embrace the best practices and implement policies aimed at fortifying the nation’s resilience”.

“Our policy initiatives should encompass various sectors, including safe development of infrastructure, improved disaster preparedness, poverty alleviation, safer spatial land use planning, adherence to building codes, efficient water resou­rce management, sound agricultural practices, and increased afforestation nationwide, including coastal areas,” he said.

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“I urge all stakeholders to seek synergy through greater and refined understanding of each other’s strengths and capa­city limitations, achieving maximised interoperability amon­gst local, zonal, national, global, and public and private sectors through a whole of society approach,” the prime minister said.

“Pakistan is facing an immense impact of climate change despite not being responsible for it. Frequent recurrences of unpredictable extreme events have given devastating blow to our struggling economy,” the prime minister said.

He praised the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for its hard work and said it is quite satisfying that NDMA’s National Emergencies Operation Centre (NEOC) has the best capacities in managing national disasters.

In a separate message, President Asif Ali Zardari recalled that in the wake of the Oct 8, 2005, catastrophe “our nation displayed an unparalleled spirit of resilience and unity and generously helped the affected people”.

Extending his gratitude to friendly countries, civil society, welfare and charitable organisations that lent support in the aftermath of the earthquake, he also mentioned the looming threat of climate change, which has made Pakistan more vulnerable to natural disasters.

“Rising temperatures, unpredictable weather patterns, and extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, heatwaves, and landslides pose a potential threat to the infrastructure and lives of our people.”

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2024