Pakistani PM leads delegation to attend 72nd UNGA Session

By APD Writer Muhammad Sohail

ISLAMABAD Sept. 16 (APD) - Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will lead the country’s high-level delegation to attend 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week, said a statement from Foreign Ministry.

Abbasi on Saturday left for the U.S. to attend the annual gathering of the 193-member body which will give Pakistan an opportunity to engage multilaterally and bilaterally to advance its priorities in diverse areas.

The Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with a number of world leaders and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Foreign Office announced.

The regular session of the UNGA began on Sept. 12, and the General Debate will open on Sept.19, with a focus on the theme, “Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for all on a Sustainable Planet”.

On the sidelines of the General Assembly Session, Pakistani PM will address the Council on Foreign Relations besides interacting with the US Pakistan Business Council.

Pakistan is a great advocate of multilateralism and the United Nations to promote collective responses to the multifaceted challenges of global peace, security, and development, said the statement, adding that Pakistan would continue its constructive role and engagement at the UN with a view to protecting and promoting its national interests.

The prime minister, who will be reaching New York on Monday after a brief stay in London, is scheduled to address the UNGA on Thursday.

Abbasi is likely to meet U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session.

The meeting, being dubbed one of the most important engagements of Pakistani PM, is likely to take place on Tuesday.

Ahead of his tour, Abbasi has stressed the need for Pakistan and the United States to remain engaged.

“It is important for Pakistan and US to stay engaged in pursuing common objectives and other issues of mutual interest,” Abbasi told David Hale, US Ambassador to Pakistan.

Pakistan-US relations got further strained last month after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his administration’s policy on Afghanistan and South Asia by criticizing and blaming Pakistan for housing terrorist sanctuaries.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)