Sardar Masood Khan, former President of Azad Kashmir and Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United Nations, revealed that the Prime Minister of Pakistan will raise the Kashmir and Palestine conflicts in the UN General Assembly and during meetings with world leaders. He emphasized Pakistan’s consistent support for the Kashmir issue at the UN and highlighted its presence on the Security Council’s agenda. Khan also pointed to the General Assembly’s Third Committee resolution on self-determination, later adopted by the full assembly. The gathering of world leaders provides a significant platform to amplify the Prime Minister’s message. Khan hopes these pronouncements and interactions will raise awareness about the gravity of the Kashmir situation.
In a television interview, Khan stressed the importance of the UN General Assembly for Pakistan and the national resolve to utilize this opportunity effectively. A potential meeting between President Trump and the Prime Minister of Pakistan would mark their first direct interaction in five to six years. These meetings are expected to cover bilateral progress as well as regional and global matters, including peace and security issues.
Major global events of the past month, such as the Iran-Israel conflict, Israeli actions against Qatar, the Pakistan-India conflict, and the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defense agreement, are likely to be key discussion points. Khan mentioned US acknowledgment of Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts after the Iran-Israel clash, conveyed by Senator Marco Rubio to then-Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, indicating Pakistan’s mediating role between Iran and the US. This underscores the significance of this meeting.
The agenda is likely to encompass regional security, nuclear safety, the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia agreement, and bilateral topics such as strengthening defense cooperation, technical exchange, counter-terrorism measures, cryptocurrency, mineral resource development, agricultural partnerships, and US investment in Pakistan’s oil sector. Khan also emphasized addressing the issue of the 19% tariff imposed by the US on Pakistani exports.
Regarding the US reaction to the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defense agreement, Khan observed Pakistan’s positive relations with the US and Saudi Arabia’s established US alliance, resulting in no overt negative reaction from Washington, despite the existence of underlying concerns. He anticipates that pro-Israel and pro-India lobby groups in Washington will attempt to portray the agreement negatively, focusing on military aspects while downplaying the economic and trade dimensions.