UNITED NATIONS/ISLAMABAD: Final adjustments are being worked out about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the United Nations.
His schedule of meetings and negotiations with foreign heads of state and government is indicative. After a brief stay in London, Prime Minister Sharif will travel to New York, where he is expected to meet the newly elected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the sidelines of UNGA session.
According to sources, this meeting is scheduled for September 25. On the same day, Prime Minister Sharif will also visit the Kuwaiti Mission to the United Nations to meet with the Crown Prince of Kuwait. Meeting with Turkish President will also be held on 24th.
Additionally, he will meet with the president of the European Union. A major focus of the prime minister’s bilateral engagements on the sidelines of the UN session will be with regional countries, including meetings with Bangladesh, Nepal, Iran, Maldives and others. There is, however, no possibility of any meeting between Pakistan and India.
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is reportedly engaged in secret negotiations under the Quad — a strategic security alliance between India, the US, Australia, and Japan — on discussions of counter-terrorism, while Modi has reportedly made some references about Pakistan, while Pakistan is a victim of terrorism from Afghanistan and India, particularly in Balochistan.
Prime Minister Modi has already addressed the United Nations’ “Summit for the Future” and spoken at a large event for the Indian community at a major hall in Long Island, New York. Special arrangements are being made to ensure that the prime minister’s stay and engagements remain insulated from protests and other activities organized by political opposition groups, during his time in New York.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to arrive in New York on a five-day visit mainly to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar, Federal Education and Professional Training Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, and Special Assistant to the PM Tariq Fatemi are accompanying the prime minister, according to a PM Office press release.
Prime Minister Shehbaz will address several high-level meetings on the sidelines of the UNGA session including the ‘High-Level Meeting on Existential Threat posed by Sea-level Rise,’ SDG Moment 2024, and the UN Security Council’s Open Debate on ‘Leadership for Peace’.
He will interact with the members of the US-Pakistan Business Council and Pakistani bankers to apprise them of his government’s pro-business and investment policies. The meetings with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Founder Bill Gates, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva are also on his agenda.
In a scheduled meeting with Palestinian President Mehmood Abbas, the prime minister will hold consultation on the ways to persuade the international community to accelerate its efforts to end Israel’s oppression in Palestine.
Prime Minister Shehbaz will also attend a luncheon reception by Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Hassanal Bolkiah on the completion of 40 years of his country’s UN membership, and also a dinner reception by Chief Advisor of Bangladesh Dr Muhammad Yunus to mark 50 years of his country’s UN membership.
During his US visit, the prime minister will highlight before the world leaders the impacts of climate change on the countries, Pakistan’s sacrifices in its fight against terrorism, challenges faced by the debt-burdened countries, Indian illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) and ongoing genocide of innocent Palestinian people by Israeli occupation forces.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended greetings to the government and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the country celebrated its 94th National Day on Monday. The prime minister, in his message, said that under the leadership of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Kingdom had emerged as a great country of the 21st century, according to a PM Office press release.
Calling Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 a role model for the world, Prime Minister Shehbaz said the Kingdom was playing a leading role in the developing world in business, technology, economy and other fields.
He said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoyed historic relations based on religious and cultural values and both countries supported each other through tough times. Prime Minister Shehbaz said that the entire Pakistani nation was grateful for Saudi Arabia’s support in the recent stabilization of Pakistan’s economy and expressed the hope that both countries would continue to enjoy cordial ties in the future as well.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping for extending the warm wishes on his 73rd birthday. “I am grateful for this gracious gesture that reflects the iron brotherhood and All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership between Pakistan and the People’s Republic of China,” the prime minister wrote on his X timeline in response to a congratulatory letter he received from President Xi.
In his letter, President Xi had extended his warm birthday wishes and reaffirmed the promotion of China-Pakistan strategic cooperation and the construction of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). “Together, we will continue to work assiduously to build a prosperous Pakistan-China community with a Shared Future,” the prime minister remarked.