ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Dr Maleeha Lodhi to continue her efforts to ensure that Pakistan’s voice is heard on peace, security and development issues at the UN.
Premier Sharif gave guidelines and advice to Dr Lodhi on how to make country’s participation more meaningful in United Nations when she called on him here at Prime Minister’s House on Thursday.
Prime Minister would be addressing the UNGA session in coming September in which he would highlight country’s foreign policy and national priorities. The United Nations will be marking the 70th anniversary of its founding this year which gives special importance to this year’s session.
Sources aware of the deliberations of the meeting, which was also attended by PM‘s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaz Aziz and Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi, said the issue relating to the alleged sponsoring of terrorism in Pakistan by neighbouring India also figured in the sitting and it was decided that more contemplation and deliberations on these matters would be done before taking it to the international forum.
Prime Minister also directed Sartaj Aziz, Tariq Fatemi and Dr Maleeha Lodhi to set the agenda for his bilateral meetings with heads of state and government from friendly countries at the sidelines of UNGA session.
Premier Sharif was informed that in last couple of days, after Dr Lodhi’s arrival in Islamabad, a series of meetings were held in Foreign Office where all these matters came under discussion and it was decided that the premier’s visit to United States in coming September would be made more productive and meaningful.
The prime minister said Pakistan had always played an active role in the UN and should continue to be in the forefront of all UN activities and debates.
Pakistan today is the largest troop-contributing country to UN peacekeeping operations in the world.
Dr Lodhi briefed the prime minister about UN-related matters and the several summits and events that will take place during the special session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in September this year.
She informed the prime minister that in addition to normal activities, a number of other important events would also be taking place which had great importance and relevance to Pakistan. Of these, the most important would be the endorsement by world leaders of the post-2015 development agenda which will involve the adoption of the sustainable development goals.
Major activities taking place in this year’s UNGA session include summit on South-South cooperation, meeting on gender equality and women empowerment, special summit to approve sustainable development goals and peacekeeping summit to be co-hosted by Pakistan along with other countries.