‘Unavoidable engagements’: Caretaker PM not to go to Kenya for climate summit

Pakistan’s Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar is not attending the African Climate Summit that started in Kenya’s capital Nairobi today (Monday).

Spokesperson of the Foreign Office in Islamabad, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch and Caretaker Federal Minister for Information Murtaza Solangi confirmed the cancellation of Prime Minister Anwar Haq Kakar’s three-day visit to Nairobi in a conversation with Arab News.

Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi said: ‘The main reason for the cancellation of the Prime Minister’s visit is his unavoidable domestic engagements.’

Earlier, Pakistan’s Foreign Office announced this week that Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar will attend the September 4-6 African Summit in Nairobi, where he will meet with African counterparts and other high-level dignitaries. A series of bilateral meetings were to be held.

The Foreign Office had said that Pakistan’s high-level participation in the summit was not only in line with its proactive climate diplomacy, but also in line with Islamabad’s vision of enhancing ties with African states.

The African Climate Summit is a joint initiative of Kenya and the African Union, and African officials hope the summit will strengthen the continent’s voice and send a unified message ahead of the UN’s COP28 climate summit later this year. .

More than 20 African heads of state and government and hundreds of delegates from around the world, including UN chief Antonio Guterres, have confirmed attendance at the three-day summit, which is expected to see deals worth millions of dollars.

The cancellation of Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar’s visit to Nairobi comes at a time when the government is facing widespread public anger over inflation and rising energy prices.

Protests have been held across the country in recent days following the hike in petroleum prices on August 17 and due to higher electricity bills this month, and a shutter-down strike on September 2.

After this week’s hike in Pakistan, petrol and diesel prices have crossed Rs 300 per liter for the first time in the country’s history.

Public anxiety has grown since the signing of a $3 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in June this year to stave off bankruptcy due to decades of mismanagement and instability.

The IMF demanded that subsidies be reduced and a levy of Rs 50 per liter of petroleum products be imposed to reduce costs.

Other conditions include additional revenue generation and the adoption of a market-based currency exchange rate, which has fueled inflation in Pakistan, which peaked at 27.4 percent in August and 38 percent in May.