NEW YORK: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York today, after returning from Washington where he held a high-profile meeting with United States President Donald Trump at the White House.
Diplomatic sources told WE News that the draft of his UNGA speech was being given final touches late Thursday night. According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, Sharif will call on the international community to address “prolonged occupation and denial of the right to self-determination” in Indian-occupied Kashmir and Palestine.
The foreign ministry said Sharif will particularly focus on the ongoing crisis in Gaza, urging “decisive action to end the suffering of people of Palestine.” He is also expected to highlight Pakistan’s challenges in dealing with climate change.
The Pakistani leader’s UN appearance comes on the heels of his Oval Office meeting with Trump on Friday morning, where he was accompanied by Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir.
US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also joined the discussions. According to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the talks took place in “a pleasant atmosphere.”
During the Oval Office meeting, Sharif and Trump discussed issues of mutual interest as well as regional and global developments.
The meeting, which was closed to the press, lasted approximately one hour and 20 minutes. In images released by a media company from the White House, PM Sharif, Field Marshal Munir, and US President Trump were seen engaged in cordial discussions.
