Daily Times

Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the landmark 75th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) via video link on September 25, according to an initial list of speakers officially released here.

The high-level general debate of the 193-member assembly in which the Pakistani leader will speak, traditionally a high-profile annual UN event, will open on September 22. But this year, it is expected to be a slimmed-down affair, with world leaders staying away from New York because of the coronavirus pandemic. They will be contributing set-piece speeches via video link.

According to the list, Imran Khan, who last year made his debut at the UN as head of state, is the sixth speaker in the afternoon session. “I expect that the prime minister will once again raise the cause of the Kashmiri people for self-determination and Azadi from Indian oppression,” Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram said, adding that the prime minister will also talk about Pakistan’s facilitation of and hopes for the peace process in Afghanistan, its successful response to the coronavirus crisis, debt relief for developing countries and other international issues in his wide-ranging address.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to speak on Sept. 26, a day after the Pakistani leader’s address. US President Donald Trump is set to address on the morning of September 22, the opening day of the general debate, which will run through Sept 29. The US is traditionally the second speaker in the high-level debate, after Brazil.

President of General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande said last month that each Member State, Observer State, and the European Union, was invited to submit a pre-recorded video, delivered by its designated high-level official, which will be played in the General Assembly Hall. Speeches will be limited to 15 minutes.