Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Tuesday, describing his meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) moot in Samarkand, Uzbekistan and 77th session of the UN General Assembly as “encouraging”, said Pakistan had come out of international isolation due to the efforts of present coalition government.

“By straining relations with various countries, the previous government had put Pakistan in isolation,” the prime minister told a press conference here.

He said the way former prime minister Imran Khan used to talk about various countries was not appropriate for a country desiring to have good relations. The prime minister, who arrived in Pakistan last night after his official visits to the United Kingdom and the United States, said during his recent visit to Uzbekistan to attend the SCO moot, the flood situation in Pakistan vis a vis climate change was highlighted.

He said Pakistan despite having less than one percent share in the global carbon emission was facing the severe negative effects, which was also evident from the recent devastating floods in the country.

Shehbaz Sharif said during the SCO moot as well as his meetings with various leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi etc., he highlighted the losses caused by floods in Pakistan and the leaders, besides expressing their solidarity, also assured their cooperation to mitigate the sufferings of flood-hit people.

The prime minister said similarly during his address at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly as well as the sideline meetings, he highlighted that with overall economic loss of over US $ 30 billion, the recent devastating floods had caused 1,500 deaths, destroyed millions of houses and destructed infrastructure.

Shehbaz Sharif said during his address to the UN General Assembly, he forcefully presented Pakistan’s view-point and stance on the issues of Kashmir, Palestine and Islamophobia.

He said the plight of Kashmiris in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), atrocities in the IIOJK, August 5, 2019 illegal action of India in the IIOJK, and the treatment meted out to Muslims in India were also highlighted in the address.

The prime minister said during his visit to the United States to attend the UN General Assembly he was effectively assisted by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, and others.

About his visit to UK, the prime minister said besides representing Pakistan at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, he also attended the reception hosted by King Charles, who expressed sincere sympathies for the flood-hit people of Pakistan and talked fondly about the friendly ties.

Shehbaz Sharif said he also thanked the United Kingdom for the 15 million pounds flood relief assistance.