Shehbaz meets UK PM, Iran president, other world leaders in New York

NEW YORK/ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to apply sanctions against Israel, including an arms & trade embargo for its genocidal acts against the Palestinians.

“We must compel Israel to halt its genocidal war in Gaza and prevent its attempts to provoke a wider conflict in the Middle East,” the prime minister stressed while delivering a statement during the High-Level Open Debate of the Security Council on “Leadership for Peace”, on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly session.

While strongly condemning Israel’s bombing in Lebanon, the prime minister emphasized that it was time to hold its leadership accountable for its crimes against the Palestinians and the Lebanese people. In addition, he also urged the Security Council to develop an impartial plan for a ceasefire and peaceful solution for the war in Ukraine.

As regards the Kashmir issue, he emphasized that the Council could no longer ignore the fostering Jammu and Kashmir dispute. “It poses a great threat to international peace and security. The council must call for a halt to the massive violations of fundamental rights of Kashmiri people and implement its own resolutions that demand a plebiscite for self-determination in Kashmir Valley,” the prime minister added. Furthermore, he called upon the Council to also effectively address the resurgence of the threat of terrorism from Afghanistan, especially from Daesh and Fitna al-Khawaraij.

Likewise, he said the Council must extend active support to the African countries and the African Union to defeat terrorism and foreign interventions. He added that the Council should initiate building measures to prevent a war between major powers and ease the rising tension, especially in Asia. Additionally, the prime minister stressed that the Council must declare zero tolerance for the illegal use of force and revive global efforts to halt and reverse the new arms race in nuclear and conventional weapons. “It must also build control over new weapons and technologies including Artificial Intelligence that is making war more likely and more lethal.” He said in cooperation with other member states, Pakistan would pursue these objectives in the Security Council after assuming its seat in the Council next year.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday, strongly condemning the ongoing atrocities by the Israeli forces against the Palestinian people, called upon the international community to forge unity and demand an immediate ceasefire and creation of the State of Palestine. “The time has come when we all must come together and demand an immediate ceasefire and creation of the State of Palestine as without that peace will not return in this part of the world,” the prime minister told reporters along with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after they held a meeting on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The prime minister said he visited the Palestinian president to show Pakistan’s complete solidarity with the people of Palestine and reiterated the condemnation of the atrocities and genocide being committed by Israel in Gaza. In his remarks, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said even since before 1948, Pakistan’s position on Palestine had been unchanged as the country had extended the maximum possible support to the people of Palestine.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his United Kingdom counterpart Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday agreed to further strengthen bilateral ties in various sectors, especially trade and investment. During a meeting on the sidelines of 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), they discussed matters of mutual interest and bilateral relations between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz met Bill Gates, founder and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly Session. Acknowledging Pakistan’s efforts, Bill Gates stressed polio eradication was vital to protect its future generations from this crippling disease.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz on Thursday met Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen, on the margins of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. A wide array of topics, including bilateral relations, and regional and global issues came under discussion during the meeting.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Ajaypal Singh Banga, President of the World Bank, on the sidelines of UNGA in New York. The finance minister, Muhammad Aurangzeb was also present in the meeting. The prime minister and the WB president reaffirmed their commitment to achieving Pakistan’s development goals, aligned with Vision 2025 and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

In meeting with Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, Shehbaz highlighted the importance of enhancing bilateral trade and investment, improving connectivity and cultural ties with Iran.

Also, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the government was introducing major reforms to promote the tourism industry and make the country a tourist destination. “We have undertaken major reforms by adopting a tourist-friendly visa regime under which tourists from 126 countries can obtain fast-track visas without fee,” the prime minister said in a message on the World Tourism Day being observed today (Friday, Sept 27).

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National Heritage and Culture Attaullah Tarar has said that stringent measures and prudent policies of the government had resulted in stability in the economy. Addressing a press conference here, he said that due to steps of the present regime, inflation and prices of daily use commodities had fallen considerably.