Islamabad: Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif plans to equate the situation in Kashmir to that in Palestine in his address at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Dawn has quoted the country’s Foreign Office (FO) as saying.
Sharif is also slated to join a meeting of “select” Muslim leaders with US president Donald Trump on the sidelines of the session.
“The Prime Minister will participate in a meeting of select Islamic leaders with US President Trump to exchange views on issues pertaining to regional and international peace and security,” the newspaper quoted the FO as stating.
Sharif will lead Pakistan’s delegation to the “high-level segment” of the UNGA from September 22. He will be accompanied by Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar, other ministers, and senior officials. The FO said his address at the UNGA will urge the world community to resolve situations of “prolonged occupation and denial of the right to self-determination,” particularly in Palestine and India-occupied Kashmir.
“He will draw the attention of the international community towards the grave crisis in Gaza and call for decisive action to end the suffering of the Palestinian people,” the FO noted.
According to news agency ANI, the statement further said that the prime minister will present Pakistan’s stance on regional security challenges and global concerns, including climate change, terrorism, Islamophobia, and sustainable development.
Sharif’s engagements in New York will include several “high-level events” such as UN Security Council meetings, a high-level session of the Global Development Initiative (GDI), and a special event on Climate Action. He is also expected to meet senior UN officials and world leaders to discuss issues of mutual concern.
“He will also underline Pakistan’s resolve to work with all UN member states to uphold the UN Charter, prevent conflict, foster peace and promote global prosperity in Pakistan’s current role as a member of the Security Council,” the FO added.
The meeting in New York would be Sharif’s first direct engagement with Trump since he assumed office in January. Earlier this year, Trump hosted Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir at the White House, without senior civilian representation.
Sharif’s plans indicate that Pakistan wants to have a say in the affairs of the Middle East. It signed a defence deal with Saudi Arabia recently and announced that the two countries would stand by each other if a conflict situation arises.
Earlier this month, Israel killed five Hamas officials and a Qatari security officer in Doha. The incident drew strong condemnation from Arab states allied with the US and prompted an emergency joint session of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, co-sponsored by Pakistan, Dawn has reported.
The joint statement from that summit urged “all states to take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people.”
Following the Doha strike, Trump had dinner with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in New York. He initially rebuked Israel, saying he was “very unhappy” about the attack. However, US secretary of state Marco Rubio later clarified that Washington was “not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis.”
