ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will join a select group of Muslim world leaders who will meet with US President Donald Trump this coming week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Sunday.
PM Shehbaz, who will represent Pakistan at the 80th UNGA alongside Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, will reach New York today (Monday) after delaying his arrival by a day.
In the meeting, select Muslim leaders will exchange views with the US president on “issues pertaining to regional and international peace and security,” the FO said.
The meeting will be PM Shehbaz’s first direct interaction with the US president, since the latter assumed office in January.
Earlier, Trump met Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal General Syed Asim Munir in June, marking the first time a US president has hosted Pakistan’s army chief at the White House unaccompanied by senior civilian officials.
General debate kicks off from Sept 23, and PM Shehbaz is expected to address the UNGA on Sept 26 (Friday).
“In his address to the General Assembly, the prime minister will urge the international community to resolve the situations of prolonged occupation and denial of the right to self-determination from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) and Palestine,” the FO said.
The prime minister will, in particular, draw the attention of the international community towards the grave crisis in Gaza, and call for decisive action to end the suffering of the Palestinians. He will also highlight Pakistan’s perspective on the regional security situation, as well as other issues of international concern, including climate change, terrorism, Islamophobia, and sustainable development.
The prime minister will attend several high-level events on the sidelines of the UNGA session, including meetings of the UNSC, high-level meeting of the Global Development Initiative (GDI), and a special high-level event on climate action, among others.
The prime minister is also expected to hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the assembly.
Anwar Iqbal in New York also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2025