PM orders inquiry after Gilgit-Baltistan flood warning system found inactive

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a high-level inquiry after it emerged that an early warning system installed in Gilgit-Baltistan for protection against glacial lake outburst floods had remained non-functional.

The issue came up during a meeting chaired by the prime minister to review pre-monsoon preparedness and climate-related risks, according to a Prime Minister’s Office news release.

The prime minister took notice of the inactive system and directed all relevant institutions to speed up coordinated preparations before the upcoming monsoon season. The statement said he expressed strong displeasure over the continued inactivity of the early warning mechanism despite clear directives issued last year.

According to the PM Office, Shehbaz warned that negligence and weak institutional performance would not be tolerated and stressed that protecting citizens from environmental dangers was a basic responsibility of all departments.

He instructed federal ministries and provincial governments to remove obstacles delaying implementation of policy measures and ensure that digital monitoring infrastructure linked to early warning systems becomes fully operational.

During the meeting, the National Disaster Management Authority, WAPDA and the Ministry of Climate Change briefed the prime minister on progress made in line with earlier directions. Senior federal ministers, advisers, provincial chief secretaries and senior officials from relevant departments also attended the session.

Energy security reviewed

In a separate development on Thursday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said energy security was an essential component of the country’s future planning and stated that timely government steps on energy conservation during the current regional situation had helped avert a crisis.

He made the remarks while chairing a high-level meeting on energy security. The prime minister said work was in progress on a plan to maintain strategic reserves of crude oil in the country in view of future energy requirements.

He also said that, for energy conservation and sustainable development, transport should gradually shift towards environmentally friendly electric vehicles.

The prime minister directed that only electric buses and motorcycles should be procured for government use in the future and ordered faster establishment of charging stations for electric vehicles.

He also called for a strategy to make it easier to acquire batteries for storing excess solar electricity and said local production of high-quality storage batteries should be encouraged.

Participants in the meeting were informed during a briefing that the National Coordination and Management Council was reviewing the energy situation on a daily basis. They were also told that petroleum product stocks were sufficient and that the country’s food security situation was stable.

Meeting with astronauts

Also on Thursday, the prime minister met Pakistani astronauts Khurram Daud and Muhammad Zeeshan Ali, who have been selected for a human space mission.

According to a news release, Shehbaz described their participation in space research as a landmark achievement for Pakistan and a matter of national pride.

Astronaut Attaché Hasnain Iftikhar from the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission was also present during the meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Office.