ISLAMABAD – Prime minister-designate Imran Khan has not decided at themoment to address a session of the United Nations General Assembly inSeptember after taking oath of the office, PTI has revealed.
Some media reports quoting last Sunday’s meeting of Khan with Pakistan’sPermanent Representative to UN Maleeha Lodhi had claimed the PM-designatehad expressed his desire to address the UN General Assembly in September todeliver a stirring speech like that of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s address to theUN Security Council in December 1971.
Lodhi met with Khan at his Bani Gala residence last Sunday. However, PTIofficially did not release any statement regarding the meeting. At themeeting, Lodhi congratulated Khan on his party’s victory in the July 25elections.
PTI Central Media Department head Iftikhar Durrani told The Nation that theprime minister-in-waiting had not yet decided any foreign trip. “Khan hasannounced austerity measures and he has decided to give first priority tothe countrymen,” he said adding that no foreign trip for an address to theUNGA session was under consideration at the moment.
When asked whether Khan in his meeting with Lodhi expressed his desire fora rousing address to the UN session like Bhutto had delivered in 1971,Durrani said that this point did not come under discussion at the meeting.
“It was just an informal meeting and because of the reason, we did notofficially release any statement about it,” he said. He further said thatLodhi herself released the photograph of her meeting with Khan to themedia. The photograph later went viral on the social media.