ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has met United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres and urged him to play his role for a ceasefire in Gaza and ensure delivery of humanitarian aid to the territory, Sharif’s office said on Saturday.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, being held in the backdrop of Israel’s nearly two-year war on Gaza, which has killed over 65,000 Palestinians since Oct. 2023, and its military actions against other Middle Eastern states as well as raging conflicts elsewhere in the world.
Sharif and Guterres discussed strengthening multilateralism, climate finance for developing nations, India’s announcement of putting the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance, the Kashmir dispute and externally sponsored militancy in Pakistan, according to the Pakistan prime minister’s office.
“Sharing serious concern over the burning issue of Gaza, the Prime Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for efforts for an immediate ceasefire and ending the war, provision of humanitarian assistance, and opening a political horizon for an irreversible path to Palestinian statehood,” Sharif’s office said.
Pakistan does not recognize Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state as per the aspirations of the Palestinian people, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital and according to the pre-1967 borders.
The meeting came hours after Sharif told the UNGA that the Israeli leadership has unleashed a campaign against the innocent Palestinians in blind pursuit of its “nefarious goals,” which history will always remember as one of its “darkest chapters,” calling on the international community to find a path to ceasefire.
“For nearly 80 years, the Palestinians have courageously endured Israel’s brutal occupation of their homeland. In the West Bank, each passing day brings new brutality, illegal settlers who terrorize and kill with impunity, and nobody can challenge them and question them. And in Gaza, Israel’s genocidal onslaught has unleashed unspeakable terror upon women and children in a manner we have not witnessed in annals of history,” he told the UNGA session.
“We must find a path to a ceasefire now and just now... Pakistan firmly supports the demand of the Palestinian people for the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Sharif as its capital. Palestine can no longer remain under Israeli shackles. It must be liberated and liberated with full commitment and full force.”
In his meeting with Guterres, the Pakistan premier expressed gratitude for the secretary-general’s appreciation of Pakistan’s rescue and relief efforts, but stressed the need for climate finance for developing nations.
“The prime minister underlined the need for concerted international actions, including mobilization of additional climate finance to mitigate the impacts of climate change on the most climate vulnerable countries like Pakistan,” Sharif’s office said.
While Pakistan contributes less than 1 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions, it remains one of the most vulnerable countries to climate-related disasters. Officials say the South Asian country suffers around $4 billion annually due to climate change and this year’s monsoon floods, which killed over 1,000 people, affected 4.7 million and washed away crops on 4 million acres of land, could deepen that blow.
The prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to continue playing a constructive role as a member of the UN Security Council for regional and international peace and security.
“The secretary-general lauded Pakistan’s strong voice and critical role at the UN, including principled positions at the Security Council,” Sharif’s office said. “They agreed on the need for concerted efforts to further enhance and strengthen the indispensable role of the United Nations in advancing global peace and development.”
