PM Shehbaz thanks UN Secretary General over support for flood-ravaged Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday thanked United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his visit to Pakistan to express his unprecedented support for the flood victims.

In a Twitter post, the prime minister said that the UN secretary general’s two-day visit to Pakistan was vital for raising global awareness about the human tragedy.

"Deeply touched by his empathy and leadership. Pakistan needs global support to overcome this challenge," he added.

In a related tweet, the prime minister said that during his visit to the flood-affected areas and camps under scorching heat, UN Secretary-General was overwhelmed by the scale of devastation that had engulfed Pakistan.

“His voice has become the voice of flood victims. The world should pay heed to what he said about climate change,” he added.

Earlier, Guterres urged international creditors to introduce a new mechanism ‘Debt Swap’ for the devastated flood-hit Pakistan.

Guterres calls for ‘debt swap’ scheme for Pakistan

Speaking at a press conference held at Karachi airport on Saturday, UN Secretary-General said that developing countries including middle-income countries like Pakistan are facing difficult financial conditions and we have seen ‘default’ in some cases. Therefore, it is essential to develop a new mechanism by the international creditors for repayment, he said.

“We are strongly advocating debt swap in which countries instead of paying to the creditors, using that money to invest in climate resilience, investment in sustainable infrastructure, etc and this is exactly what Pakistan needs instead of paying debt, using that money for rehabilitation and rebuilding of infrastructure. We will be strongly advocating it with the upcoming meetings with the IMF,” he said.