Pakistan's prime minister and deputy arrive in New York for UN General Assembly

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reached New York on Monday to join the 81st United Nations General Assembly, scheduled for Sept 21-25. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived earlier, launching a packed agenda of bilateral and multilateral engagements. Dar’s meetings included France’s foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot, where they reviewed Pakistan-France cooperation and reaffirmed support for a two-state solution in Palestine, and Egypt’s foreign minister Badr Abdelatty, focusing on trade, investment and cultural exchanges.

He also conferred with Palestinian UN observer Riyad Mansour, reiterating Pakistan’s backing of Palestinian self-determination. Additional side-event commitments involve the OIC Contact Group on Kashmir, a UN Security Council briefing on artificial intelligence, and chairing an Economic Cooperation Organisation ministers’ council. The delegation has been trimmed under domestic austerity, with Dar and adviser Tariq Fatemi forming the core team.