President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif have called for focusing on mitigating the impacts of climate change through the effective coordination and construction of the climate resilient infrastructure.

The call was made by the President and Prime Minister in their separate messages on the National Resilience Day observed across the country on Tuesday to express solidarity with the victims of 2005 earthquake.

In his message, President Asif Ali Zardari stressed the need to educate the people about disaster risk management, and mitigation, and actively engage the communities to promote a culture of disaster preparedness.

He said amid the catastrophe of 2005 earthquake our nation displayed an unparalleled spirit of resilience and unity and generously helped the affected people.

In his message on the occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the day is a motivation for us to embrace the best practices and implement policies and strategies in various sectors aimed at fortifying our nation’s resilience.

He said Pakistan is facing an immense impact of climate change despite not being responsible for it.

He commended the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for its response towards such natural calamities. In a separate statement on the occasion, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Engineer Amir Muqam said the government will continue to take more effective measures for making Pakistan a disaster-free country.

He expressed solidarity with the victims of devastating earthquake of October, 2005. The Minister lauded the exemplary role played by the institutions engaged in the national reconstruction following the earthquake.

Engineer Amir Muqam also appreciated the cooperation extended by the international community following the deadly earthquake.