PROVINCE REPORT
ISLAMABAD : Federal Minister for Climate Change Dr. Musadik Malik has warned that climate change is creating a growing but largely unrecognized migration crisis in Pakistan, saying nearly 40 million people have been affected by climate-related disasters, including displacement, injuries, disabilities and the destruction of entire settlements.
Addressing a ceremony marking the formal launch of the Civil Society Alliance on Migration (C-SAM) in Islamabad, the minister said thousands of Pakistanis had lost their homes and livelihoods during recent floods, yet their displacement was not adequately recognized as migration.
Dr. Musadik Malik said that in the last five major floods in Pakistan, around 6,000 people had lost their lives while 19,000 others were injured or disabled as a result of disasters. He said these affected families had also suffered the loss of their ability to support their children and elderly parents.
“These are unnamed stories and do not fall under any migration account,” the minister said, highlighting the human cost of climate-related displacement.
He noted that Pakistan contributes less than one per cent to global pollution, yet its people are paying a heavy price for climate change. He said recent floods had forced large numbers of people to leave their homes, but such climate-induced displacement was often overlooked in global discussions on migration.
Referring to the growing threat of extreme weather, the minister also said that 500 people had died in a single heatwave in one Pakistani city, underscoring the increasing risks faced by vulnerable communities.
The minister was speaking at the formal launch of C-SAM, an alliance comprising more than 50 civil society organizations working to promote safe and dignified migration in Pakistan.
The ceremony was attended by the Canadian High Commissioner, representatives of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC), civil society leaders from across Pakistan and other stakeholders.
Speaking on the occasion, IOM Head of Programme Darius Pamparas said civil society organizations were closest to communities, which was their greatest strength. He said different organizations witnessed different stages of the migration journey, and C-SAM had been established to help bridge the gaps between these efforts.
C-SAM Chairman Mubarak Ali Sarwar said the alliance’s real value would not be measured by the launch ceremony but by the collective action taken in the period ahead.
OEC Managing Director Nasir Khan Kashani emphasized the importance of evidence-based policymaking, saying civil society could make a meaningful contribution by bringing facts and experiences from communities into the policy process.
The newly launched alliance aims to provide a platform for civil society organizations to coordinate their efforts, strengthen evidence-based advocacy and contribute to policies promoting safe, orderly and dignified migration in Pakistan.
The C-SAM secretariat is based at the OxDev Initiative in Islamabad, with technical support from IOM and financial support from Canada.
