ISLAMABAD: National Resilience Day was observed today [Sunday] across the country to express solidarity with the victims of 2005 earthquake.
The earthquake claimed thousands of lives besides causing massive damage to infrastructure especially in Azad Kashmir and Hazara division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In their separate messages on the occasion, President Dr Arif Alvi and Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar have reaffirmed the commitment to enhance national preparedness and strengthen resilience in the face of natural disasters.
The President in his message said we come together to show our solidarity and compassion for families who have endured the devastating effects of unprecedented natural disasters.
The Caretaker Prime Minister in his message said Pakistan is moving towards a proactive approach to cope with the challenge of Climate Change. Chairman NDMA sais in his message that we commemorate this occasion with a mission and commitment to advance national preparedness by improving and increasing the nation’s resilience to natural and human induced threats.
He said that Pakistan is facing changing climatic condition and frequent recurrence of unpredictable and extreme events. In order to meet these challenges, NDMA is proactively working at reducing the vulnerability to disasters, and also providing coping mechanisms and framework for effective disaster management, he added.
The NDMA chairman said that the disaster management system in Pakistan has traveled a long way in the recent time with formulation of National Disaster Risk Reduction Policy and National Disaster Management Plan but still we have to go very far by implementing these polices and plan in their true letter and spirit.
“We have also made considerable progress in mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in development processes, which will no doubt lead to greater national resilience against potential disasters. Our expedition for resilience is consistent and we need to make our utmost efforts to realize the ideals. The Disaster Management System in Pakistan is currently undergoing a transformation, shifting from a reactive to a proactive approach. This represents a significant change in how we collectively address unexpected crises,” he concluded.
