Senior UN official skips Pakistan visit, cites flight issue

Published July 26, 2020
Turkish diplomat Volkan Bozkir was elected president of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly last month. — AFP
Turkish diplomat Volkan Bozkir was elected president of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly last month. — AFP

The incoming president of the United Nations General Assembly announced on Sunday that he was postponing his visit to Pakistan due to "some technical flight problems”.

Turkish diplomat Volkan Bozkir was elected president of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly last month and was scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on Sunday.

But in a Twitter post, he said the visit to Pakistan's capital would have to wait. "I am hoping to visit Pakistan in the near future and looking forward to a fruitful exchange with the Pakistani authorities, regarding the issues & priorities on the United Nations 75th General Assembly agenda."

In response, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tweeted: "I look forward to welcoming you to Pakistan soon for a constructive and fruitful visit."

Earlier, Qureshi, while announcing the visit, had hoped he would discuss a range of issues with Bozkir, including Kashmir.

Qureshi said he would present to Bozkir Pakistan's position on occupied Kashmir, which he had said was suffering the "worst human rights situation" in the world.

The foreign minister had added that he would also inform Bozkir about the atrocities committed by the Indian army in occupied Kashmir.

Opinion

Editorial

UAE’s Opec exit
Updated 30 Apr, 2026

UAE’s Opec exit

THE UAE’s exit from Opec is another sign of the major geopolitical shifts that are reshaping the global order. One...
Uncertain recovery
30 Apr, 2026

Uncertain recovery

PAKISTAN’S growth projections for the current fiscal present a cautiously hopeful picture, though geopolitical...
Police ‘encounters’
30 Apr, 2026

Police ‘encounters’

THE killing of nine suspects by Punjab’s Crime Control Department across Lahore, Sahiwal and Toba Tek Singh ...
Growth to stability
Updated 29 Apr, 2026

Growth to stability

THE State Bank’s decision to raise its key policy rate by 100 basis points to 11.5pc signals a shift in priorities...
Constitutional order
29 Apr, 2026

Constitutional order

FOLLOWING the passage of the 26th and 27th Amendments, in 2024 and 2025 respectively, jurists and members of the...
Protecting childhood
29 Apr, 2026

Protecting childhood

AN important victory for child protection was secured on Monday with the Punjab Assembly’s passage of the Child...