FM Qureshi meets UN chief

Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi met with the UN Secretary General António Guterres at the United Nations headquarters.

During the meeting, the Foreign Minister expressed deep concern over the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories caused by Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, resulting in over 250 deaths including dozens of women and children.

The FM underscored that his visit to New York to attend the General Assembly session on Palestine was an expression of Pakistan’s firm and unwavering support to the legitimate cause of the Palestinian people for their right to self-determination.

Welcoming the recent ceasefire announcement, the Secretary General expressed the hope that this could help revive efforts for a negotiated settlement of the Palestinian issue.

The Foreign Minister also briefed the UN Secretary General on the serious human rights and humanitarian situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) including continued illegal incarceration of the Kashmiri political leaders and extra-judicial killings.

The Foreign Minister said that the re-initiation of the 2003 ceasefire understanding between Pakistan and India along the Line of Control (LOC) was a welcome step. Pakistan desired normal relations with India. However, the onus was on India to take steps to create an enabling environment for a meaningful engagement.

He urged the UN Secretary General to use his good offices to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in line with the UN Charter and the relevant Security Council Resolutions.

Foreign Minister Qureshi highlighted Pakistan’s constructive efforts to facilitate the Afghan peace process, and expressed the hope that the Afghan parties would seize the opportunity and reach an inclusive, politically-negotiated settlement, resulting in lasting peace and security in Afghanistan.

Expressing deep concern at the rising tide of intolerance, discrimination, violence and Islamophobia against Muslims, he urged the need for the relevant UN bodies to address this challenge, as well as take effective measures against the threat posed by violent nationalist, supremacist, far right and extreme-right wing terrorist groups and ideologies.

The Foreign Minister is visiting New York to attend the UN General Assembly Session on Palestine as part of Pakistan’s extensive diplomatic outreach to mobilize international support for the Palestinians.