According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Friday and emphasized "urgent action" to address the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Afghanistan (FO).
"FM Qureshi emphasized the need for immediate action to address the country's current dire humanitarian situation, calling for the international community's continued political and economic engagement to end [the] decades-long conflict," according to the statement.
The foreign minister also emphasized Pakistan's currently underway initiatives to solve the humanitarian situation as well as those aimed at achieving long-term peace and stability in the neighbouring country, according to the statement.
Furthermore, FM Qureshi informed Guterres on the "deteriorating human rights" situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir and disclosed with him a "comprehensive intelligence report containing evidence of gross, systematic, and widespread human rights violations, war crimes, crime against humanity, and genocide being perpetrated by Indian occupation forces" in the valley, according to the statement.
FM Qureshi also expressed hope that the UN would play a role in ensuring that the people of occupied Kashmir could "exercise their inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in relevant UN resolutions."
According to the statement, the minister endorsed for making the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) "more significant, democratic, clear, effective, and accountable to address the world's multiple challenges."
He emphasized that reforms must be decided by consensus and member states must be allowed the necessary time and space to evolve a solution acceptable to the entire UN membership, the statement said.
FM Qureshi also emphasized the importance of deriving the rising tide of Islamophobia, addressing vaccine disparity, and ensuring proper funding for developing countries to respond to the pandemic and resulting economic crisis.
After the meeting, FM Qureshi briefly shared the the details of his talk with Guterres in a tweet.
"Great to meet Antonio Guterres at UNGA and share Pakistan’s key priorities: equitable socio-economic development, stabilisation of Afghanistan and just resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute," he tweeted.
The FM also met with the president of the 76th Session of the General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, on the day and congratulated him on his election to the position, according to the FO.
FM Qureshi expressed the hope that Shahid's presence in this important office would help with making progress on important issues on the UN agenda.