Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Tuesday describing his meetings with world leaders on 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 in Samarkand, the flood situation in Pakistan vis a vis climate change was highlighted.

He said that 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 meeting 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 suffering of flood-hit people. The Prime Minister said that similarly during his address at 77th session of the UN General Assembly as well as the sideline meeting, he highlighted that with overall economic loss of over US $ 30 billion, the recent devasting floods had caused 1500 deaths, destroyed millions of houses and destructed infrastructure. Shehbaz Sharif said that during his address to UN General Assembly, he forcefully presented Pakistan view-point and stance on the issues of Kashmir, Palestine and Islamophobia.

He said that plight of Kashmiris in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), atrocities in IIOJK, August 5, 2019 illegal action of India in IIOJK and treatment meted out to Muslims in India was also highlighted in the address. The Prime Minister said that during his visit 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 that 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.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP