Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday announced that the federal cabinet will declare both a climate emergency and an agriculture emergency after consultations, in light of the severe human and economic losses caused by recent floods.

Chairing a cabinet meeting in Islamabad, the Prime Minister said a committee headed by Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal is being constituted to address the crisis.

An apex-level meeting with the four provincial chief ministers will follow to formulate a unified policy response.

PM Shehbaz noted that the floods have claimed around 1,000 lives and left thousands injured, while extensive damage to crops is still being assessed.

He emphasised that while the federal government is contributing its share, provincial governments will also need to play their part.

On his recent visit to China, the Prime Minister highlighted the success of the business conference in Beijing, which yielded $8.5 billion worth of joint ventures and MoUs.

He said Ahsan Iqbal will travel to China on September 26 for the formal launch of CPEC 2.0, which will expand cooperation into agriculture, mines and minerals, business-to-business investment, and special economic zones. He added that Chinese investment in the Karakoram Highway project will amount to 85 per cent.

The prime minister also mentioned the signing of an MoU with the United States for investment in mines and minerals, noting that Pakistan is working to improve relations with Washington while giving new impetus to its strategic partnership with Beijing.

Paying tribute to the armed forces for their sacrifices in the fight against terrorism, PM Shehbaz condemned propaganda against the military and its leadership, calling it a “collective national and political responsibility” to confront and counter such narratives.