Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the 75th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday via video link, during which he will share Islamabad's "perspective on Kashmir, region and the international issues".

"The Prime Minister will one again raise the issue of Jammu and Kashmir dispute as he had been doing in the past," Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in a statement.

"He will also share Pakistan's successful handling of Covid-19, his debt relief initiative for developing countries and Islamophobia."

Khan's speech will focus on the tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan, the pertaining issue of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute and he will also seek an intervention from UN member countries to pressure India to come to the negotiating table.

Diplomatic sources have said that the Prime Minister's speech this year will be similar to the one at the UNGA in 2019.

"Pakistan will be raising the issue of strategic and planned demographic changes being done in Jammu and Kashmir by India through its domicile law, which aims to change the Muslim majority state into a Muslim minority state," said a diplomatic source.

Khan's speech comes as Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has been holding sideline meetings with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the UNGA contact group.

"Foreign Minister Qureshi had already addressed a high-level virtual meeting of the General Assembly to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the UN" the source said.

"The Foreign Minister called for the respect of the right to self-determination promised to the people of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Palestine by the UN. "

Qureshi said that "a final resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute lies in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Kashmir, determined through a free and fair plebiscite under the auspices of the UN".

"There can be no change in this principled position," the Minister maintained.

The theme for the 75th General Debate is "The future we want, the UN we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism e confronting Covid-19 through effective multilateral action"

Qureshi also addressed the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir on the sidelines of the UNGA.

"The Contact Group reviewed recent developments relating to Jammu and Kashmir, including the grave human rights and humanitarian situation in held Kashmir and escalation in tensions along the LoC," the Foreign Office spokesperson added.
(IANS)