UNGA President Volkan Bozkir to begin three-day trip to Pakistan
UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Volkan Bozkir will begin a three-day trip to Pakistan today.
Bozkhir will meet with prominent officials from Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government on the heels of the UNGA’s May 20 meeting over the crisis in Palestine. Fallout from the Israel-Palestine conflict reached Pakistan last week when seven demonstrators were killed by a bomb blast at a pro-Palestine rally in the southwestern city of Chaman. Supporters of Palestine were eager to draw parallels to what Pakistan labels an Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir, a comparison aided by New Delhi’s close relationship with Israel.
The continuation of unrest in Pakistan despite a ceasefire having been brokered on the same day means representatives can be expected to raise the issue during their meeting with President Bozkir. Pakistan will likely use Bozkir’s visit as well as rising international sympathy for Palestine to draw attention to a conflict India has repeatedly insisted ought to remain a bilateral issue resolved between Islamabad and New Delhi. If the subject is raised, Bozkir is likely to reiterate support for a peaceful resolution in accordance with the UN Charter. However, he is unlikely to directly support removal of Indian presence in the contested territory.
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