— Meets President Mahmoud Abbas, demands immediate ceasefire, creation of State of Palestine
— In meeting with Bill Gates, PM lauds support to Pakistan on polio eradication
NEW YORK: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday urged the United Nations Security Council to apply sanctions against Israel including an arms & trade embargo for its genocidal acts against the Palestinians.
“We must compel Israel to halt its genocidal war in Gaza and prevent its attempts to provoke a wider conflict in the Middle East,” the prime minister stressed while delivering a statement during the High-Level Open Debate of the Security Council on “Leadership for Peace”, on the sidelines of the 79th United Nation General Assembly Session.
While strongly condemning Israel’s bombing in Lebanon, the prime minister emphasized that it was time to hold its leadership accountable for its crimes against the Palestinians and the Lebanese people.
In addition, he also urged the Security Council to develop an impartial plan for a cease-fire and peaceful solution for the war in Ukraine.
He said proliferating wars in the Middle East, Europe and elsewhere, great powers’ tension, and growing poverty were threating the foundations of the world order.
“Last Sunday we approved the pact for the future. We must give life to our commitments otherwise, the future will be bleak and dangerous,” he stressed.
As regards the Kashmir issue, he emphasized that the Council could no longer ignore the fostering Jammu and Kashmir dispute. “It poses a great threat to international peace and security. The council must call for a halt to the massive violations of the fundamental rights of Kashmiri people and implement its own resolutions that demand a plebiscite for self determination in Kashmir valley,” the prime minister added.
Furthermore, he called upon the Council to also effectively address the resurgence of the threat of terrorism from Afghanistan especially from Daesh, and Fitna al-Khawaraij.
Likewise, he said the Council must extend active support to the African countries and the African Union to defeat terrorism and foreign interventions. “UN peacekeeping must become more robust and effective.”
He added that the Council should initiate building measures to prevent a war between major powers and ease the rising tension, especially in Asia.
Additionally, the prime minister stressed that the Council must declare zero tolerance for the illegal use of force and revive global efforts to halt and reverse the new arms race in nuclear and conventional weapons.
“It must also build control over new weapons and technologies including Artificial Intelligence that is making war more likely and more lethal.”
He said in cooperation with other member states, Pakistan would pursue these objectives in the Security Council after assuming its seat in the Council next year.
Later, Prime Minister strongly condemning the ongoing atrocities by the Israeli forces against the Palestinian people, called upon the international community to forge unity and demand an immediate ceasefire and the creation of the State of Palestine.
“The time has come when we all must come together and demand an immediate ceasefire and the creation of the State of Palestine as without that peace will not return in this part of the world. If this is allowed to linger on, then God forbids, things will become very very tense,” the prime minister told the reporters along with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after they held a meeting, on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The prime minister said he visited the Palestinian president to show Pakistan’s complete solidarity with the people of Palestine and reiterated the condemnation of the atrocities and genocide being committed by Israel in Gaza, killing young boys, girls, babies, men and women.
“I am here to convey the feelings of the people of Pakistan that our hearts beat together. We strongly condemn this barbaric act. During the last one year, 41000 Palestinian people have been martyred. Cities after cities, towns, villages, hospitals, schools and infrastructure have been razed to the ground. This kind of barbarism hasn’t been witnessed not only in the recent past but since ages,” the prime minister remarked.
He said that the sacrifices, patience and bravery of the people of Palestine would not go to waste but rather would result in the creation of the State of Palestine.
In his remarks, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said even since before 1948, Pakistan’s position on Palestine had been unchanged as the country had extended the maximum possible support to the people of Palestine. He said Pakistan’s support was not just limited to the students rather it maintained its pro-Palestine position in the international forums.
PM meets Bill Gates, lauds support to Pakistan on polio eradication
Separately, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met Bill Gates, founder and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 2024) Session.
Recalling Gates’ recent visit to Pakistan in June this year, the prime minister thanked him for the invitation to visit the Gates Foundation in Seattle in December 2024.
He also appreciated the Gates Foundation’s engagement and support to Pakistan on polio eradication, maternal and child health, nutrition, immunization, digitization, and financial inclusion.
The prime minister highlighted Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to ensure complete eradication of polio from the country. He thanked the BMGF for its longstanding support in this effort and underscored the need for sustained efforts and supports to Pakistan, particularly for health system strengthening and maternal and child nutrition in this regard.
Acknowledging Pakistan’s efforts Bill Gates stressed polio eradication was vital to protect its future generations from this crippling disease. He appreciated the prime minister’s personal supervision and engagement of the Provincial governments in the polio vaccine program across the country.
Gates shared updates on a comprehensive Health Dialogue with Afghanistan and requested support for the initiative. He also communicated his willingness to focus more on the pockets where the number of missed children or refusal of polio vaccines is higher especially where the morbidity of children is higher.
He also shared with the prime minister on King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre’s support for polio and other health relief-related initiatives.
He also shared with the Prime Minister BMGF’s work on nutrition especially the micronutrients for pregnant women and how it can be increased by providing them additional vitamins in support of UNICEF.
The prime minister complimented the Gates Foundation for its Polio campaign in Gaza given the challenges there and the plight of children.
He emphasized on immediate ceasefire and the resolution of the conflict as per the UN Resolutions. He also complimented BMGF for being a trusted ally in Pakistan’s socio-economic development and expressed interest in broadening collaboration in areas such as information technology, STEM education, agriculture, and livestock.
