UNITED NATIONS: President Asif Ali Zardari, who is set to address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday evening, will share his vision and Pakistan's efforts to build peace, security and stability in the region and around the globe.
Briefing Pakistani journalists on the main points of the president's address, Ambassador Masood Khan said he will especially focus on Pakistan's sustained efforts in pursuit of its foreign policy goals and principles of the UN Charter.
Over 120 world leaders have gathered for the annual opening of the 193-member Assembly choking Manhattan's streets with motorcades and barricades manned by heavy police posses.
Masood Khan said President Zardari would also call on the General Assembly and individual member states to address the alarming situation created by the release of the blasphemous video made in the US that triggered riots across the Muslim world.
The President would condemn the video and urge the international community to evolve an “appropriate legislative framework” to proceed against such attacks.
One of the themes of the President's speech would be counter-terrorism and Pakistan's countless sacrifices — losing thosands of soldiers and civilians as well as political leaders, including Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, to terrorist attacks.
He would share Pakistan's compelling narrative of how Pakistan's men, women and children have given their lives to make the region and the world more secure.
The President would also highlight the efforts made in the past five years to consolidate democracy and strengthen democratic institutions in Pakistan. He would inform the international community about the initiatives taken by his government to eliminate poverty, promote social development, and to empower socially marginalised segments of the society, especially women.
Zardari would also refer to Pakistan's major foreign policy initiatives vis-a-vis Afghanistan and India.
The President Asif Ali Zardari would reaffirm Pakistan’s support for the right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to choose their own destiny by peaceful means and in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.
President Zardari would emphasize that regional cooperation was necessary to fight illicit drug production and trafficking. His key message to the international community would win-win solutions through cooperation and connectivity.