Senior UN official skips Pakistan visit, citing flight issue
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.
The incoming president of the United Nations General Assembly announced Sunday that he was postponing a scheduled 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.
Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tweeted in response to Bozkir that “I look forward to welcoming you to Pakistan soon for a constructive and fruitful visit.”
A day earlier, a jubilant Qureshi, while announcing the visit, had hoped he would discuss a range of issues with Bozkir.
Pakistan and India have fought two of their three wars over the disputed region since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. The two sides often exchange fire in Kashmir, causing troops and civilian casualties on both sides.
Pakistan wants the United Nations to play its role in resolving the issue of Kashmir under its resolutions by allowing people living in the Himalayan region to decide whether they want to merge with India, with Pakistan or whether they prefer independence.
