RAWALPINDI: Pakistan was unanimously elected to head the United Nations’ most prestigious committee — the First Committee — as the world body met here yesterday [Sept 16] for its 24th session, according to a message received here today.

The name of Pakistan’s permanent representative, Mr Agha Shahi, was proposed by the Chairman of West European group and seconded by the chairman of Asian and African groups. The other candidate, Ambassador Rossides of Cyprus, withdrew his candidature yesterday. With 126 nations now crowding the UN rolls, Asia gets the chairmanship of a main Committee about once in five years and Pakistan last held such an office in 1956.

Coupled with Pakistan’s recent inclusion in the Geneva Disarmament Committee, Mr Agha Shahi’s unanimous election yesterday is taken here as recognition of the role Pakistan has been playing in world affairs in recent years.

Pakistan is completing this year her two years of the membership of the Security Council and was elected last year as a member of ECOSOC. Earlier this year, Ambassador Shahi was elected the President of the Governing Council of UNDP, a body which allocates about 200 million dollars to pre-investment and technical projects of the member-States… — Correspondent

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2019