Islamabad, September 20, 2023 (PPI-OT): Thanks for joining us for the Weekly Briefing.
Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar is in New York to attend the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly. Foreign Minister, Jalil Abbas Jilani and Foreign Secretary, Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi are part of the delegation.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister held a meeting with the President of Iran Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and attended the High-level Meeting on Global Development Initiative and the SDG Summit Leaders’ Dialogue. At the SDG Summit Leaders Dialogue, the Prime Minister highlighted the challenges in attainment of SDGs especially for developing countries. He called for climate justice, including the fulfilment of the pledge for over $100 billion annually in climate finance, allocation of half of this amount to climate adaptation and the urgent launch of the Fund for “Loss and Damage”.
Today, the Prime Minister will attend the Climate Ambition Summit 2023 and High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development. On Friday, 22 September 2023, the Prime Minister will address the UN General Assembly session. In this address, the Prime Minister will outline Pakistan’s perspective on a range of regional and global issues, including the longstanding unresolved Jammu and Kashmir dispute on the UN Agenda. He will also share the measures taken by Pakistan to consolidate economic recovery and efforts to mobilize domestic and external investments.
The Foreign Minister also has a busy programme in New York. He has participated in several multilateral engagements including a Minister-level Meeting for Middle East Peace and a Meeting of the OIC Six-Member Committee for Palestine. On the sidelines, the Foreign Minister has held bilateral meetings with a number of his counterparts including the Foreign Ministers of Belarus, Cuba, Malta, Norway, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. He also delivered an address at the Asia Society. At the OIC Committee Meeting, the Foreign Minister underscored Pakistan’s principled stance of a 2-state solution to the Palestine question.
In his speech at the Asia Society, the Foreign Minister emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to a foreign policy rooted in mutually beneficial cooperation, peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and shared economic development. He shared Pakistan’s vision for a peaceful neighbourhood, including combating terrorism, peace and stability in Afghanistan and resolution of outstanding disputes between Pakistan and India, particularly the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
Pakistan strongly condemns the recent storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by a group of extremists under the watch of Israeli occupation forces. We believe that a continuation of such unfortunate incidents this year constitutes a flagrant violation of the relevant international norms and conventions. It is an affront to the religious sentiments of Muslims around the world.
Pakistan reiterates its call upon the international community to act in concert to bring an end to Israel’s escalatory practices in the interest of peace, security and stability in the Middle East and beyond. Human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) continue unabated. During the first eight months of this year, the Indian occupation forces in IIOJK have killed 68 Kashmiris, including women and children. There were thirteen custodial killings. During this period about 2900 individuals including political activists, businesspeople, women and youth were arbitrarily arrested.
Such acts are aimed at breaking the Kashmiri people’s will and determination to demand their rights and freedom including the inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. These human rights violations must end and their perpetrators should be held to account. Pakistan will continue to extend political, diplomatic and moral support to our Kashmiri brothers and sisters for the just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions.
For more information, contact:
Spokesman,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Government of Pakistan
Tell: +92-51-9205494
Fax: +92-51-9204202
Cell: +92-336-5644459
Website: www.mofa.gov.pk