UNITED NATIONS: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will arrive in New York on Sunday for preliminary consultations, a day before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrives to lead the Pakistani delegation to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Dar’s early arrival will allow Pakistan to prepare for a week of intensive diplomatic activity, as world leaders gather in New York amid the continuing war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, an escalating conflict in Yemen and growing tensions across the Middle East.
The premier is due to arrive on Monday and will address the General Assembly on September 25.
The Pakistani delegation has been significantly streamlined as part of the government’s austerity measures. Dar and senior foreign-policy adviser Tariq Fatemi will form the core of the prime minister’s delegation, while several federal ministers who had initially been expected to travel have been dropped from the trip, according to sources at the country’s UN mission.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar, Minister for Climate Change and Environment Dr Musadik Malik and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal are among those not attending, added the sources.
Dar’s preparatory meetings are expected to focus on Pakistan’s priorities for the UNGA high-level week and the rapidly changing regional situation.
The Middle East crisis has already figured prominently in discussions at the UN headquarters, with the Security Council holding several meetings on the deteriorating situation in Yemen and the wider region in recent days.
The General Assembly’s high-level general debate begins on Tuesday, when US President Donald Trump is scheduled to address the 81st session. The debate will run from Sept 22-26 and resume on Sept 28.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said Trump was expected to highlight his administration’s handling of international crises and what it describes as its diplomatic achievements.
“We expect the president will highlight how he and his administration have confronted complex problems head-on around the world,” Waltz said.
He added Trump was also expected to stress “the importance of ensuring that Iran never has a nuclear weapon” and discuss progress on the administration’s 20-point Gaza peace plan.
The General Assembly is convening as the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran continues to reverberate across the region. The crisis has been accompanied by heightened tensions in the Gulf, attacks on Saudi Arabia and renewed threats to commercial shipping through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
On Friday, the UN Security Council strongly condemned continued Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including strikes affecting civilian and energy infrastructure that have caused civilian casualties, including women and children. The Council also condemned the Houthi military escalation in Yemen and attacks and threats against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb.
The Council called for an immediate end to the Houthi military escalation and attacks affecting civilians and civilian objects.
The statement came as Saudi Arabia faced another wave of Houthi attacks.
The escalation in Yemen is likely to figure among the issues discussed by Pakistani officials during UNGA week. Pakistan has already condemned Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia and commercial shipping and reaffirmed its support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Pakistan’s UN ambassador, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, has also called for restraint and peaceful resolution of regional disputes.
For Islamabad, the Middle East crisis presents a sensitive diplomatic challenge. Pakistan maintains close relations with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states while also sharing a border and longstanding ties with Iran.
Against this backdrop, Pakistan is expected to emphasise diplomacy, dialogue and peaceful resolution of conflicts, while raising the Palestinian issue and the Kashmir dispute at the General Assembly.
PM Shehbaz’s agenda will also include sustainable development, climate action, counterterrorism, Islamophobia and reform of the United Nations. He is expected to hold bilateral meetings with world leaders and the UN secretary-general.
For Pakistan, the immediate task will be to advance its diplomatic priorities while responding to a rapidly changing security environment in a region of direct strategic importance to Islamabad.
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