- PM to interact with other heads of state during dinner: sources.
- Premier Shehbaz to address UN General Assembly on Sep 25.
- PM likely to raise IWT, Kashmir disputes during UNGA address.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump on September 23 on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will host a reception dinner for heads of state and government attending the UNGA 81 at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on Madison Avenue on the evening of September 23, The News reported on Sunday, citing high-level sources.
PM Shehbaz has already received an invitation to the dinner, which will be attended by several world leaders. The gathering will provide him an opportunity to interact with other heads of state and government, the sources said.
The meeting with President Trump would be their first face-to-face interaction in seven months following the conclusion of the Board of Peace meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
PM Shehbaz is scheduled to arrive in New York from London a day before the reception and will address the UN General Assembly on September 25.
In his address, the prime minister is expected to raise the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) by India, citing the recent verdict of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which rejected India’s contention.
According to the sources, besides Pakistan’s traditional allies, several other countries have assured Islamabad of support for its position.
The prime minister will also highlight the Kashmir dispute, which poses a continuing threat to regional and global peace. He will outline Pakistan’s role in promoting regional peace and its diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities in the Middle East.
He is also expected to refer to the trilateral collective security arrangement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, signed in Makkah last month. The prime minister will brief the international community on Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts and raise concerns over India-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan, including the use of Afghan territory as a conduit for such activities.
According to the sources, PM Shehbaz will meet several world leaders on the sidelines of the UNGA session, including Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, with whom he is expected to hold his maiden meeting.
The high-level General Debate of the 81st UN General Assembly is scheduled to take place from September 22 to 26 at the UN headquarters in New York. The UN Secretariat has issued the schedule of addresses by participating world leaders. PM Shehbaz is scheduled to be the fourth speaker during the second half of the session on September 25.
The sources said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not attend the UNGA for the second consecutive year. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address the General Assembly on September 24.
Afghanistan is scheduled to be among the final speakers on the concluding day of the session, according to the schedule cited by the sources.
