ISTANBUL

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday called for peace in South Asia, after declaring “victory” in May clashes with nuclear-armed rival India.

Sharif said the world is more complex than ever as conflicts are intensifying, “international law is being brazenly violated,” and the distribution of “disinformation and fake news undermine trust.”

Crediting US President Donald Trump’s “bold and visionary leadership” for a ceasefire with India, Sharif told the UN General Assembly in New York, “had he not intervened timely and decisively, the consequences of a full-fledged war would have been catastrophic.”

He accused India of seeking to “extract political gains from a human tragedy by spurning my sincere offer of an independent international investigation into the Pahalgam incident.”

At least 26 people were killed on April 22 in a suspected militant attack at the Pahalgam tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir.

It led to four-day clashes between India and Pakistan after New Delhi launched missiles into Pakistani territory, leaving dozens of people dead. Later, on May 10, Trump announced a ceasefire, which still holds.

Sharif also thanked China, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Iran, the UAE, and the UN secretary-general for “extending their diplomatic support to Pakistan at this crucial time.”

Pakistan downed seven of the Indian jets, said Sharif.

Three months after the conflict, India claimed that it had hit Pakistani aircraft.

“Pakistan stands ready for a composite, comprehensive, and result-oriented dialogue with India on all outstanding issues,” he stressed.

“South Asia requires ‘proactive,’ rather than ‘provocative’ leadership!” added Sharif.

On India's “unilateral and illegal attempt” to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, he said Pakistan has “made it abundantly clear, and let there be no doubt, we will definitely, and ardently defend the inalienable right of our 240 million people on these waters. To us, any violation of this treaty represents an act of war.”

On the Kashmir dispute with India, Sharif said: “I wish to assure the Kashmiri people that I stand with them, the people of Pakistan stand with them.”

On Palestine, Sharif slammed the Israeli leadership for their “blind pursuit” of a shameless campaign against Palestinians, which will be remembered as one of the “darkest chapters” in human history.

“Pakistan firmly supports the demand of the Palestinian people for the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state, with pre-1967 borders, and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. Palestine can no longer remain under Israeli shackles. It must be liberated!” he said.

In the West Bank, “each passing day brings new brutality, illegal settlers who terrorize and kill with impunity,” Sharif said.

Sharif addressed the General Assembly soon after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the world body, which saw most of the diplomats boycotting the Israeli premier’s speech.

“Israel’s recent attack on Doha, and its continued violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of numerous countries, is reflective of its rogue behavior,” said Sharif, expressing support for Doha.

Recent catastrophic floods in Pakistan caused by climate change

Sharif said thousands of villages were washed away, millions of people displaced, more than 1,000 killed and billions of dollars of crop, livestock and property were lost to floodwaters during recent deadly floods in Pakistan that happened due to climate change.

He urged “those most responsible for the climate crisis” to deliver “on climate finance commitments, to support climate action in developing countries.”

The prime minister also lauded Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Global Governance Initiative.

Sharif condemned terrorism in “all its forms and manifestations,” while stressing Pakistan’s role in global counter-terrorism.

He urged the Interim Afghan interim administration to “take effective action against terrorist groups and to ensure that Afghan soil is not used for terrorism against any country.”

UN chief lauds Pakistan’s role at Security Council

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lauded Islamabad’s “constructive engagement as an elected member of the Security Council,” during a meeting with Sharif, where developments in the region, reform of international financial architecture were discussed, according to a statement from the UN.