Pakistan and the Sultanate of Oman are moving towards establishing a formal agreement to bolster bilateral cooperation in disaster risk reduction and emergency response, a key outcome of a highlevel Omani delegation’s visit to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Thursday.
The visiting dignitaries, led by Major General Abdullah bin Ali Al Harthi, Assistant Inspector General of Police, included senior representatives from Oman’s National Emergency Management Centre (NEMC) and the Civil Defense and Ambulance Authority. The group was also joined by H.E. Mr. Fahad Sulaiman Khalaf Al Kharusi, the Omani Ambassador to Pakistan.
During their tour of the National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC), the Omani officials received a comprehensive briefing on the NDMA’s technologydriven evolution. This included presentations on advanced early warning systems, realtime data integration, and riskinformed preparedness mechanisms, along with flagship initiatives like the Pakistan Disaster Lens (PDL) 2026.
Chairman NDMA, Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik, welcomed the guests and detailed the authority’s strategic pivot from a reactive framework to a proactive model. He emphasized that this new approach prioritizes preparedness, sophisticated warning systems, and building community resilience against calamities.
In a reciprocal exchange, the Omani side presented the mandate and operational structure of their National Committee for Emergency Management (NCEM). This interaction allowed both nations to share institutional experiences and compare national coordination models for effective disaster oversight.
Discussions centered on the prospects of formalizing their partnership through a dedicated accord. Both parties stressed the importance of creating joint coordination mechanisms for the systematic exchange of early warning information, hazard prognoses, technical expertise, and best practices in the field.
The proposed collaboration would also encompass joint training, capacitybuilding initiatives, and the sharing of realtime disaster and climaterelated data to improve emergency response capabilities for both countries.
The delegation also toured NDMA’s Centre of Excellence and its technology labs, where they were informed about specialized training courses available for professionals in disaster management and climate change.
The meeting concluded with a mutual understanding to maintain close institutional collaboration, reaffirming the commitment of both nations to enhance preparedness and coordinated response to natural and climateinduced disasters.