Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is considering a historical first: Delivering his address before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 30th of September in his national language, Urdu.
He would be first world leader whose voice would echo in Urdu in the UN General Assembly. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would be addressing world leaders for the third time during his incumbent stint.
The UN summit would be resuming on September 26 and the prime minister has been allocated 15 minute slot for addressing the General Assembly. Pakistan’s permanent representative for the UN, Ambassador Dr Maleeha Lodhi has made elaborate arrangements for the address and other highly prestigious engagements of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his stay in the UN headquarters city.
The address by the prime minister is being worked out in the Foreign Office and interestingly it is being choreographed in English. Nawaz will observe his Eidul Azha in London as he will be leaving for the United States on Wednesday, September 23. He will be having a stopover in London for two days before resuming journey for New York.
Well placed diplomatic sources told The News that the prime minister will be meeting with his British counterpart David Cameron during his stay in London. He would also have interaction with community leaders in the British capital.
Hectic engagements would be awaiting him in the United Nations headquarters where he would be staying for five days. The forthcoming session of the UN General Assembly is very significant as UNGA is celebrating 70th anniversary and about 150 heads of state or government would be attending the session. The UN would also be discussing Sustainable Development Goals.
Pakistan would effectively present its case on SDGs as preparations are afoot to turn these SDGs into national goals. Prime Minister Nawaz will co-host along with some other leaders the UN Peacekeeping Summit as Pakistan is one of the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations. The prime minister will also attend a roundtable on South-South Cooperation being hosted by the Chinese president.
The sources said that Prime Minister Nawaz will be having bilateral meetings with a number of the world leaders on the sidelines of the UNGA. He will also raise the issue of Kashmir in his speech and belligerent attitude towards Pakistan. The ceasefire violations by India on the Line of Control/working boundary will also be highlighted that have killed more than 27 innocent people and inflicted heavy loss to the properties of the civilian population.
Pakistan will submit the UN dossiers pertaining to the evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism on the soil of Pakistan, the sources said. It has been officially conveyed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cancelled his schedule to address the UNGA despite the fact that he would be present in the United States next week and during the UNGA summit. It is understood that he would find it difficult to respond to what and how Pakistan exposes its designs, the sources hinted.
