PM to address UN GA on 27th

NEW YORK, United Nations: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to arrive in New York on September 23 for the 79th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly.

According to the UN’s official schedule, the prime minister will address the General Assembly on the morning of Friday, September 27. He is slated to be the second speaker during the morning session.

Sources confirm that Shehbaz would be traveling via a special aircraft with Foreign Affairs Adviser Tariq Fatemi and several members of his cabinet. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is expected to arrive in New York a day earlier (September 22) on a commercial flight.

During his visit, Prime Minister Sharif would attend a high-profile dinner hosted by US President Joe Biden in honour of foreign heads of state and government leaders attending the UNGA. On the sidelines, Pakistan’s UN Mission is quietly arranging diplomatic meetings with key foreign delegations, including representatives from the European Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and other influential blocs.

Notably, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would also be in the US but would not address the General Assembly. There are no indications of any talks between Pakistan and India, nor has there been any expressed desire from either side to arrange such a meeting. Additionally, US interest in facilitating any dialogue between the two neighbors appears minimal.

In addition to his UN engagements, the prime minister is expected to hold critical discussions with officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, focusing on economic matters crucial to Pakistan’s financial stability. It remains unclear how the accompanying ministers would contribute to these discussions with global financial institutions.

Among the ministers accompanying the prime minister, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, a longtime resident of New York and an influential figure within the Pakistani-American community, brings valuable local connections. Other notable ministers, including Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and Advisor Tariq Fatemi, all hail from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN). So far, there is no indication of any participation from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a key partner in the ruling coalition.

The prime minister is also scheduled to meet with selected members of the Pakistani diaspora and a group of Pakistani-American bankers during his visit. The US chapter of the PMLN, which had remained largely inactive during the party’s challenging political period, has now been re-energised, and is planning meetings with the prime minister and organizing traditional events such as ministerial dinners. Meanwhile, reports suggest that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is preparing for protest activities in New York during the visit.

Despite the buzz surrounding the prime minister’s trip, the Pakistani Mission to the United Nations, the Consulate General in New York, and the Embassy in Washington are maintaining their customary discretion, refraining from sharing details with the media and keeping the visit’s itinerary tightly under wraps.

Muhammad Saleh Zaafir adds: The PM will have his maiden meeting with his British counterpart Keir Starmer in London in the first week of October. Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar will also company him in the meeting. Prime Minister Shahbaz will have brief stopover in British capital while returning from New York.

Sources in Islamabad told The News the PM Prime Minister Shahbaz will be leaving for New York via London. He will have overnight stay in London before embarking for New York on Sunday. The diplomatic sources told this scribe that hectic schedule of Prime Minister Shahbaz meetings with the international leaders on margins of the World Body’s summit at the UN headquarters. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Bangladesh interim government’s Chief Muhammad Yunus and some leaders from the Middle East region could have meetings with Prime Minister Shahbaz. He will also have meeting with the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Antonio is known as a personal friend of Shahbaz Sharif.

Ishaq Dar will represent Pakistan in the special summit to be held in last week of this month at the UN headquarters where revamping and restructuring of the UN would be discussed and important changes would come about in the world body. Prime Minister Shahbaz will address Pakistani diaspora in London during his stay. He will also visit his doctors for regular medical checkup there.