- PM Shehbaz Sharif called Israel’s campaign in Gaza a “genocidal onslaught,” highlighting the killing of six-year-old Hind Rajab as a symbol of the conflict’s atrocities.
- He urged urgent global action on climate change, citing Pakistan’s catastrophic floods in 2022 and this year.
- Sharif defended Pakistan’s military response to recent Indian strikes, condemned New Delhi’s suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, and called for an end to India’s policies in Kashmir.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday denounced Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, describing it as “one of the most heart-wrenching tragedies of our time.” Addressing the UN General Assembly, he also warned of escalating climate disasters and reiterated Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir and relations with India.
Sharif condemned Israel’s expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank and what he called a “genocidal onslaught” in Gaza. He highlighted the death of six-year-old Hind Rajab, killed as her family tried to flee Gaza City, calling her story an enduring symbol of the war’s atrocities. “Can you imagine that little girl as if she was our daughter?” he asked, urging an end to the conflict.
Turning to climate change, Sharif recounted the devastation of Pakistan’s 2022 floods, which caused an estimated $34 billion in losses, and warned that the country was once again facing disaster this year. He said thousands of villages had been destroyed, millions displaced, more than 1,000 lives lost, and billions of dollars in crops and property swept away. “Pakistan contributes less than one percent of global emissions annually, yet it continues to face the relentless brunt,” he said.
On regional security, the prime minister defended Pakistan’s military response to May’s Indian strikes following the Pahalgam attack, describing it as an act of self-defense. He expressed readiness for dialogue but condemned New Delhi’s suspension of the Indus Water Treaty and its policies in Kashmir, calling for an end to what he termed “