Pakistan

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيم

Mr. President, Heads of State and Government, Excellencies, Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, Assalam-o-Alaikum!

2. It is a matter of great honour for me, to address the United Nations General Assembly for the second time, as the Prime Minister of a country, that has always been a pro-active member of the UN family.

3. I would like to congratulate and wish you success, Mr. President, on your election, as the President of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly.

4. I also thank Ambassador Dennis Francis, for his skilful stewardship of the 78th Session of the UNGA.

Mr. President,

5. The Father of our nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, declared in 1947 that "we stand by the United Nations Charter and will gladly make our full contribution to peace and prosperity of the world." Pakistan has stood by this commitment!

6. Today, we are facing most daunting challenges to the world order: Israel's genocidal war in Gaza; a dangerous conflict in Ukraine; destructive conflicts across Africa and Asia; rising geopolitical tensions; resurging terrorism; rising poverty; stifling debt, and the mounting impact of climate change. We feel the chill of a new Cold War!

7. In response to these challenges, our Secretary-General, António Guterres called for the Summit of the Future. It led to the adoption, earlier this week, of the 54 actions on development, peace and security, technology, and global governance in the Pact of the Future.

Mr. President,

8. Today, I stand before you to express the searing pain and anguish of the people of Pakistan, at the plight of the people of Gaza. Our hearts bleed, as we witness the tragedy unfolding in the Holy Land, a tragedy that shakes the very conscience of humanity.

9. Can we, as human beings, remain silent while children lie buried, under the rubble of their shattered homes? Can we turn a blind eye to the mothers, cradling the lifeless bodies of their children? This is not just a conflict; this is systematic slaughter of innocent people; an assault on the very essence of human life and dignity. The blood of Gaza's children stains the hands of not just the oppressors, but also of those who are complicit in prolonging this cruel conflict.

10. When we ignore their endless suffering, we diminish our own humanity. It is not enough to condemn; we must act now and demand an immediate end to this bloodshed. We must remember that the blood and sacrifice of the innocent Palestinians will not go to waste.

11. We must work for a durable peace through the Two-State solution. We must seek a viable, secure, contiguous and sovereign State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its eternal capital. And to advance these goals, Palestine must also be immediately admitted as a full member of the United Nations!

Mr. President,

12. In a span of a few days, Israel's unrelenting bombing of Lebanon, has killed over 500 people, including women, and even small children.

13. The failure to implement UN resolutions has emboldened Israel. It threatens to drag the entire Middle East into a war, whose consequences could be grave and beyond imagination.

Mr. President,

14. Like the people of Palestine, the people of Jammu and Kashmir 'too' have struggled for a century for their freedom and right to self-determination.

15. Instead of moving towards peace, India has resiled from commitments to implement the Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir. These resolutions mandate a plebiscite to enable the people of Jammu and Kashmir to exercise their fundamental right to self-determination.

16. Since 5 August 2019, India has initiated unilateral illegal steps to impose what it's leaders ominously call, a "Final Solution" for Jammu and Kashmir.

17. Day in and day out, nine hundred thousand Indian troops terrorize the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, with draconian measures, including prolonged curfews, extra-judicial killings and the abduction of thousands of young Kashmiris.

18. At the same time, in a classic settler-colonial project, India is seizing Kashmiri lands and properties, and settling outsiders into occupied Jammu and Kashmir, to transform the Muslim-majority into a minority. This hackneyed tactic is employed by all occupying powers, but it has always failed. In Jammu and Kashmir too, it shall fail, InshaAllah!

19. The Kashmiri people are resolute in rejection of the false Indian identity that New Delhi seeks to impose upon them. India's policy of brutal coercion and oppression in occupied Kashmir has ensured that Burhan Wani's legacy continues to inspire the struggle and sacrifices of millions of Kashmiris.

Inspired by the legitimacy of their epic struggle, they remain defiant. Their heart-wrenching stories remind us that behind every statistic lies a human life, a dream deferred, and a hope shattered.

20. Even more worryingly, India is engaged in a massive expansion of its military capabilities, which are essentially deployed against Pakistan. Its war doctrines, envisage a surprise attack and a "limited war under the nuclear overhang".

21. Thoughtlessly, India has spurned Pakistan's proposals, for a mutual "Strategic Restraint Regime". Its leadership has often threatened to cross the Line of Control and "take-over" Azad Kashmir. Let me state in no uncertain terms that Pakistan will respond most decisively to any Indian aggression.

22. To secure durable peace, India must reverse the unilateral and illegal measures, it has taken since 5 August 2019 and enter into a dialogue for a peaceful resolution, of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

Mr. President,

Remember! Illegal occupation creates a fresh hell, every day, in the killing fields of Palestine, and in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr. President,

23. Apart from conflicts, the 21st Century has brought a cascade of crises including the reversal of development and the mounting impact of climate change.

24. Two years ago, my country was devastated by catastrophic floods, causing $30 billion in damages. It is now clear that each summer will bring blistering temperatures and trigger fresh climate impacts. Pakistan emits less than 1% of carbon globally; yet we have paid a very heavy price for no fault of ours. This is unfair in any calculus of global justice. We must uphold the axiom: the polluter pays!

25. Pakistan looks forward to fulfilment of commitments made by our development partners to support the achievements of the SDGs and climate goals, including a new annual goal beyond $100 billion in climate finance.

Mr. President,

26. With nearly 100 developing countries, trapped in the vicious cycle of debt and liquidity crisis - which I call a "death trap" rather than "debt trap". Achieving the SDGs in these circumstances remains a distant mirage.

27. The international financial architecture – which the Secretary-General has described as "morally bankrupt" – and the world trade and technology regimes must be reformed and aligned to promote development and global equity.

Mr. President,

28. Since assuming office in March this year, the well-being and prosperity of my 240 million people, has been my singular focus.

29. We have taken difficult but necessary decisions that have rescued our economy from collapse; restored macroeconomic stability; controlled fiscal deficits and strengthened our reserves. As a result, inflation has come down to a single digit and the prospects for economic growth have revived.

Mr. President,

30. Situated at the crossroads of South and Central Asia, and the Middle East, we have prioritized geo-economics and regional connectivity to secure win-win outcomes for our people. The second phase of the landmark China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has been successfully launched.

31. Through the apex Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), we are mobilizing investments, in resilient infrastructure, renewable energy, minerals, sustainable agriculture and technology. This will herald a new era of development and modernization.

Mr. President,

32. For two decades, Pakistan has fought terrorism boldly and most successfully, defeating terrorist groups within Pakistan. We have paid a heavy price – 80,000 of our brave soldiers and civilians have been martyred, including innocent school going children. Our economy has suffered a loss of $150 billion.

33. Unfortunately, today we are again confronted by a new surge of externally financed and sponsored terrorism, especially by the TTP/Fitna al-Khawarij and its associates.

34. Make no mistake, we are determined to eliminate this threat as well, through our comprehensive national effort, "Azm-e-Istehkam" (Resolve to Promote Stability). And, we will work collectively with the international community to combat all forms of terrorism and reform the global counter-terrorism architecture.

Mr. President,

35. Pakistan seeks the earliest possible normalization of the situation in Afghanistan. We join the UN's appeal for $3 billion in humanitarian assistance to the millions of suffering Afghans.

36. At the same time, we endorse and share the international expectation, that the Afghan Interim Government would respect human rights, including the rights of women and girls, and promote political inclusion.

37. In particular, the Interim Government must take effective action, to neutralize all terrorist groups within Afghanistan, especially those responsible for cross-border terrorism against neighbouring countries. These include ISIL-K (Daesh), the Al-Qaeda-affiliated TTP/Fitna al-Khawarij and others, such as the ETIM, IMU and Ansarullah.

Mr. President,

38. Another troubling global development is the escalation of Islamophobia, which is now manifested, by frequent desecrations of the Holy Quran, attacks on mosques, negative stereotyping of Muslims and acts of discrimination and violence against them.

39. The most alarming manifestation of Islamophobia is the Hindu supremacist agenda in India. It aggressively seeks the subjugation of 200 million Muslims and the obliteration of India's Islamic heritage.

40. Pakistan and the OIC will work with the UN Secretary-General and his Special Envoy to implement a plan of action to combat this scourge.

Mr. President,

41. Pakistan seeks an immediate end to the tragic conflict in Ukraine, and its peaceful resolution, in accordance with the UN Charter and international agreements.

42. Pakistan has a long and proud history of solidarity, friendship and cooperation with the nations of Africa. We will continue to cooperate with them to counter terrorism, and resolve regional conflicts, including through UN peacekeeping and peacebuilding in Africa.

Mr. President,

43. As we leave this august hall, we must carry with us a message for our people that the weak are not voiceless, that the oppressed should not lose hope, that poverty is not pre-ordained, and that the Almighty's promise of justice and equality in our only terrestrial home, must be respected!

I thank you!