Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that it would be a “big mistake to ignore Afghanistan this time around”, pressing that peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan was connected.
He made the reflections as he addressed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s( SCO) Council of Heads of State(CHS) meeting in Samarkand.
Shehbaz had arrived in the major megacity of Samarkand on a two-day visit on Thursday. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif are among the officers part of the Pakistani delegation.
On the alternate day of his visit, the high minister attended the close-format CHS meeting at the Congress Centre where actors were eaten by Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were also in attendance.
At the onset of his address, the premier swerved from the textbook of his speech as he talked about Afghanistan. “As you know Pakistan is a neighbouring country of Afghanistan, and peace in Afghanistan will ensure peace in Pakistan,” he said.
“In other words, what’s good for Afghanistan, is good for Pakistan and vice versa.”
He went on to say that the world would have to work together to support all “good enterprise” in Afghanistan. “thus, it’ll be a big mistake if we ignore Afghanistan this time around.”
It’s Pakistan’s opinion that strengthening Afghanistan in the security and counterterrorism sphere should run resemblant to the SCO’s socio- profitable support to the Afghan people, he said.
PM Shehbaz said the transnational community must support sweat to make a sustainable Afghan frugality. “Unfreezing Afghanistan’s fiscal means remains a pivotal need in this regard.”
For their part, Afghan authorities would do well to make a future grounded on inclusiveness and respect for mortal rights for all citizens, especially women and nonage, including effective ways against terrorism, he said.
pressing Pakistan’s fight against terrorism, he prompted the SCO states to join hands and “fight this imminence of unreasonableness, racialism and terrorism and wipe it from the face of this earth”.
Calls on SCO state to ‘make a wall’ against climate change
PM Shehbaz also stressed the desolation Pakistan had witnessed due to the recent disastrous cataracts. “I’ve no way ahead seen this kind of desolation.”
Stagnant water is causing a rise in waterborne conditions, similar to malaria, he stressed as he thanked SCO members for extending their support during this time of need.
The high minister said Pakistan would ultimately overcome this extremity as he estimated the damages to be “billions of bones”.
“But these ruinous cataracts in Pakistan are most surely climate change- convinced() pall outbursts, unknown rains combined with hill inundations, all of this put together made Pakistan look like an ocean of water.”
We’re going to stand on our own bases but will this be the last time a country is going to fall victim to this desolation, he asked as he appealed to the SCO to “make a wall” against the imminence of climate change.
But that can only be achieved through a well-allowed
out and sustainable plan, he said. “Our carbon emigration is lower than one per cent. Yet nature had this in store for us.”
Let’s make a plan to save our unborn generations, he said.
He concluded his speech by reaffirming Pakistan’s “strong and unvarying commitment” to advance the objects of the SCO.
‘Successful addresses’ with Xi, Putin
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office twittered about the bilateral meeting between PM Shehbaz and the Chinese chairman, saying the ultimate described the high minister as “a person of pragmatism and effectiveness ” and a leader with “ a longstanding commitment to China- Pakistan fellowship”.
In response, PM Shehbaz extended his stylish wishes to President Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China for the forthcoming 20th CPC National Congress.
In a tweet latterly in the day, the defence minister said that PM Shehbaz had “veritably successful” addresses with Putin and Xi.
“Both of them have officially invited Shehbaz Sharif to visit their countries. The high minister has accepted both assignments. There will be a visit to China in November 2022,” the defence minister verified.
Pakistan and Azerbaijan express resoluteness to enhance bilateral cooperation
Before the day, PM Shehbaz met Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and bandied issues of bilateral interest. The meeting, held on the sidelines of SCO, concentrated on ways to strengthen the relationship between the two countries in different fields.
During the meeting, the premier underscored the significance of unleashing the being eventuality in the relationship between the two countries by boosting bilateral engagement in the fields of trade, investment, husbandry, information technology, and tourism, according to a Radio Pakistan report.
“Shehbaz expressed his gratefulness to Azerbaijan for its support and solidarity with Pakistan as well as the provision of generous fiscal backing for the flood tide-affected people and stressed that the massive natural disaster caused by climate change called for critical action by the transnational community to address this global trouble.”
He went on to say that Pakistan and Azerbaijan had exemplary relations, deeply bedded in common history, faith, and culture.
Likewise, Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s principled support to Azerbaijan on Nagorno- Karabakh and complimented his counterpart on the major success in the emancipation of its engaged homes, the report stated.
“He also expressed condolences on the recent martyrdom of 71 Azeri soldiers in an unprovoked attack by Armenia and reiterated support for Azerbaijan’s right to tone- defence in agreement with transnational law and in the protection of its territorial integrity,” it added.
‘Long but productive day in Samarkand’
On Thursday, the premier met several leaders including Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Turkiye’s Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s Ebrahim Raisi. In a tweet at the conclusion of the first day, he said that the meetings were concentrated on enhancing trade and investment.
“I explained the flood tide despoilments due to climate change. Food and energy dearths present a real challenge to our participated development docket,” he added.
The high minister was listed to hold meetings with SCO leaders on the sidelines of the event.
Still, Foreign Office Spokesman Asim Iftikhar before told Dawn that PM Shehbaz had no plans to meet his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi.
A functionary, when communicated, said though a brief courtesy meeting between the two was possible, they would not be holding addresses as none of the two sides had sought a meeting.
Source: Dawn News
