Access to safe drinking water & stable environment basic rights: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that access to clean air, safe drinking water and a stable environment are not luxuries but basic human rights as essential as the freedom of speech, the promise of a good education, and the assurance of a fair trial.

The PPP chairman expressed these views while addressing a seminar on “The Urgency of Action: Climate Change and its Implications on Human Rights in Pakistan” hosted by the PPP Human Rights Cell through a video link, here on Wednesday.

He said that we are living in an age of unparalleled change and nowhere is this change more palpable than in the realms of climate and societal structures.

He said that Pakistan, with its vast landscape and rich history, is sadly an epicentre of the climate crisis. The evidence is clear and cannot be ignored, Bilawal said.

“The glaciers of the north are receding at alarming rates. The south’s fertile land is giving way to desertification. These are not just climate calamities but stories of families and communities of the nation’s fabric being torn apart, where erratic weather spells destroy harvests, relentless floods ravage our homes. It is the heartbeat of our nation, of the common man and woman that suffer the most. Let us pause and consider, is it not rather limiting to view this issue as that of melting ice and shifting sands, when this crisis at its core is about the countless people who stand to lose their rights, hopes and futures, the same goes for the marginalised communities who have been pushed further into the peripheries as well as the youth which is inheriting a world that is vastly different,” he said.

About, harmonising climate policies with human rights, the PPP chairman said that we will not just draft policies but create holistic solutions. Every environmental measure will inherently prioritise the well-being and rights of the people, he said.

About empowering the voiceless, he said that no longer will the most vulnerable communities be passive observers but will play an active and important role in shaping decisions and charting the path forward.

About driving the Green Revolution through jobs, the PPP chairman said as a pivot to a greener and more sustainable future, we pledge to ensure that the youth is at the forefront of this transformation. They will play an important role in shaping decisions and charting the path forward, he said.

“Our vision does not stop here. We must invest in education that emphasises the importance of sustainability. We need infrastructure that is resilient to the challenges of the future. We must foster international partnerships because the battle against climate change is not one nation’s fight but collective endeavour,” he said.

“We envision a nation where the well-being of its land and people are given equal importance and opportunity to live their lives to the fullest possible extent. Let’s shape the future of Pakistan and by extension, our world, together,” Bilawal resolved.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023