Pak to mark day of mourning on Queen’s death
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on monday will observe a day of mourning on the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Upon the recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign affairs, prime minister muhammad shah baz Sharif accorded his approval for observing a day of mourning in Pakistan.
The cabinet division was directed to take further necessary steps in this regard.
Shahbaz will be visiting London and will likely atend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth.
According to sources, the prime minister will be leaving on a foreign tour and his first trip would be in Samarkand to atend two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation scheduled on Sept.15 and 16.
“Shahbaz will then return to the country and ater a gap of two days will leave for London on Sept.18,” they said, adding that the prime minister will meet political leaders during his London visit.
He may also join the funeral of Queen Elizabeth during his visit.
Shahbaz along with four members of his cabinet and other senior officials will be in New York to attend the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.
He is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Sept.23 and is expected to return to Pakistan the same evening. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhuto-zardari, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Federal Minister for Broadcasting and Information Maryam Aurangzeb will accompany the prime minister, officials said.
The delegation will also include the foreign secretary and other senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other departments.
The foreign minister and Khar will travel onward to Washington on Sept.25 for bilateral meetings with US officials. They are likely to stay in the US capital until Sept.27.
While the visit to the United Nations has its own significance, one major item on the prime minister’s agenda — a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden — is still undecided.
This year’s General Assembly is particularly significant because this will be the first in-person summit of world leaders at the United Nations since 2019. The 2020 and 2021 sessions were converted into virtual meetings because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The premier is expected to atend the inaugural session of the UN General Assembly on Sept.20, a day ater he reaches New York. The same day, he will address a summit meeting on education reforms, which will also consider how to deal with the pandemic’s negative impact on education.