Pakistan, Nov. 13 -- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hit the bullseye as he took Pakistan's case for climate justice to COP31 in Antalya, calling for grant-based financing and warning that water must never be weaponised. A country already struggling with debt cannot be expected to borrow its way out of disasters it has done precious little to cause.

The writing on the wall tells a frightening story of a country perilously close to the edge. The biblical floods of 2022 affected 33 million people, causing over $30 billion in damage and economic losses. Three years later, the 2025 monsoon inflicted another Rs 822 billion in losses, claimed over 1,000 lives and displaced more than four million people. This year's rains brought fresh destructio...