NEW YORK: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will highlight the issues of Kashmir and Palestine during his address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 25, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said on Sunday.
Speaking to the media in New York about the prime minister’s visit, Ahmad said Shehbaz would also discuss multilateral cooperation, climate change and the prevailing global situation.
The prime minister is expected to hold meetings with several world leaders and senior officials during his visit to New York.
PM Shehbaz’s UNGA agenda
According to the Foreign Office, Shehbaz’s address will cover a range of international issues, including sustainable development, climate change, counterterrorism, Islamophobia, global economic challenges and reform of the United Nations.
The prime minister is also expected to highlight challenges facing the Global South and reiterate Pakistan’s position on Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir.
The Foreign Office has said Pakistan will continue to advocate dialogue and diplomacy as the preferred means of resolving international conflicts.
Pakistan has repeatedly called for an immediate end to violence in Gaza and supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in accordance with relevant UN resolutions.
Islamabad has also consistently raised the Kashmir dispute at the United Nations and called for the right to self-determination for the Kashmiri people.
Shehbaz expected to meet global leaders
Ahmad said the prime minister would meet several world leaders during his stay in New York.
He added that Pakistan was also working to arrange a meeting between Shehbaz and Apple Executive Chairman Tim Cook.
The visit comes as the UN General Assembly’s high-level session gets under way, with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East expected to feature prominently in discussions among world leaders.
PM Shehbaz to lead Pakistan delegation to UNGA next week
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is already in New York, where he has been holding meetings with foreign ministers and other officials ahead of Shehbaz’s arrival.
Dar is also scheduled to participate in meetings focusing on Kashmir and Palestine on the sidelines of the UNGA session.
Pakistan calls for diplomacy
Earlier on September 14, Ambassador Ahmad told Geo News that Pakistan was seeking peaceful solutions to conflicts through dialogue and international and UN-backed mechanisms.
He said Pakistan was working to support a ceasefire, reduce tensions and encourage the parties involved to return to negotiations as regional tensions continued to worsen.
“Our effort is to find a peaceful and international solution to the conflict under UN laws,” Ahmad said, adding that the immediate priority was to stop the fighting and reduce tensions.
He also referred to the UN Security Council Charter, saying disputes should be resolved through negotiations rather than war.
“The Security Council’s Charter is meant to resolve conflicts through negotiations, not war,” he said.
The diplomat acknowledged that the situation was moving in a negative direction but said Pakistan was aware of the need to play its role in preventing further escalation.
“We acknowledge that the situation is moving in a negative direction. We are aware of it and believe that we have to play our role,” Ahmad said.
