President Zardari Meets UN Chief Guterres at Doha Summit, Raises Kashmir and Palestine Issues

Doha: President Asif Ali Zardari met United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on the sidelines of the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha today.

The President appreciated the Secretary-General’s leadership in addressing global challenges and for his continued support to Pakistan. He also raised the issue of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, recalling that it remains one of the oldest unresolved items on the agenda of the UN Security Council. The President urged the implementation of relevant UN resolutions to ensure a just and lasting settlement in line with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

President Zardari also highlighted Pakistan’s longstanding contribution to UN peacekeeping operations, noting that Pakistani peacekeepers have served with distinction in conflict zones across the world. The Secretary-General acknowledged Pakistan’s significant role in peacekeeping and expressed solidarity with Pakistan in its efforts to combat terrorism.

Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari drew the Secretary-General’s attention to India’s weaponisation of water, pointing out that India had unilaterally and illegally suspended the water-sharing agreement and stopped providing discharge data on rivers, creating man-made disasters for Pakistan.

The President welcomed the adoption of the Doha Political Declaration and expressed hope that it would renew global commitment to eliminating poverty and promoting social development. He highlighted Pakistan’s flagship Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) as a key national initiative advancing social inclusion and economic empowerment.

President Zardari reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong support for multilateralism and the central role of the United Nations in promoting peace, equity, and shared prosperity. He underscored the importance of resolving longstanding disputes, including Jammu and Kashmir, in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and called for the reversal of India’s unilateral and illegal measures.

He also reiterated Pakistan’s principled position on Palestine, stressing the need to end the suffering of the Palestinian people and to uphold their right to self-determination through the establishment of a viable, contiguous, and sovereign State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

First Lady Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Chairman PPP, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Qatar were also present during the meeting.