Shehbaz Sharif Visits London Before UN General Assembly Address

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in London on September 17 for a two-day diplomatic visit to the United Kingdom. This trip serves as a precursor to his travel to the United States, where he will lead a Pakistani delegation to the high-level segment of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and other senior officials, Sharif is scheduled to address the assembly on September 25. His planned speech will cover sustainable development, climate change, counter-terrorism, and UN reforms, while specifically raising issues regarding Palestine and Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He also intends to hold bilateral meetings with world leaders and the UN Secretary-General to present Pakistan's perspectives on regional and global developments.

Parallel to these diplomatic efforts, the Government of Pakistan expressed serious concern over Houthi activities in the Bab al-Mandab strait and condemned Houthi attacks on holy sites, reaffirming defense agreements with Saudi Arabia. Additionally, Pakistan lodged a strong protest against the Government of India following a September 15 incident during the SEASPARK-26 exercise, alleging an Indian naval vessel performed aggressive maneuvers in Pakistan's Exclusive Economic Zone, resulting in contact between the two ships.