Sharif cuts forlorn figure at UN, Pakistan isolation complete

Aggressive diplomacy pursued by India has successfully isolated Pakistan during the ongoing session of the United Nations General Assembly. In a major setback to Islamabad, India, US and Afghanistan reaffirmed their shared interests in combating terrorism and advancing peace and security in the region.

In a trilateral statement issued after their meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Manpreet Vohra, US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson and Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai  have said the three countries reaffirm their shared interests in advancing peace and security in the region, as well as countering terrorism.

Adding to Islamabad’s woes, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday rejected Pakistan’s repeated pleas to the UN to resolve the Kashmir dispute. Bani Ki Moon told Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that Pakistan and India should address their outstanding issues, including Kashmir, through dialogue. Ban met Sharif in New York on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly. His remarks came as Sharif handed him a dossier on alleged human rights violations by Indian forces in Kashmir.

Earlier, Afghanistan too slammed Islamabad at the UN, saying merciless terror attacks against its civilians were being planned and organised in Pakistan. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Afghanistan’s Vice President Sarwar Danesh said his country has repeatedly asked Pakistan, to destroy known terrorist safe havens but there was no change in the situation. 

He alleged, Taliban and Haqqani network were trained, equipped and financed there. Danesh said, Pakistan has a dual policy of discriminating between what it views as good and bad terrorists, which undermines the international order.

In other related development, China on Thursday distanced itself from Pakistani media reports which claimed that Premier Li Keqiang had conveyed China’s backing to Pakistan on the Kashmir issue during his meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said when asked about reports that Li extended support to Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir, “The issue of Kashmir is an issue left over from history. Our stance on that is consistent. We hope that parties concerned will pursue a peaceful settlement through dialogue.”