PM Sharif calls Houthi attack on Makkah ‘red line’ at UNGA

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has condemned attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, including an attempted drone attack on the holy city of Makkah, telling the United Nations General Assembly that any threat to the sanctity of Islam’s holiest sites was a “red line that must never be crossed.”

Addressing the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Friday, PM Sharif used his fourth address to the world body as Pakistan’s prime minister to outline Islamabad’s positions on the Middle East conflict, Pakistan’s mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran, Saudi Arabia, Kashmir, the Indus Waters Treaty, Palestine, terrorism, climate change, economic reform and reform of the United Nations. 

Sharif previously addressed the General Assembly in 2022, 2024 and 2025.

The speech came as Pakistan has sought to position itself as a diplomatic actor in the wider regional crisis, with Islamabad pushing dialogue and de-escalation while also deepening security coordination with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. The Foreign Office had said ahead of the address that Sharif would emphasize dialogue, diplomacy, restraint and peaceful resolution of conflicts, alongside Pakistan’s positions on Palestine, Kashmir, terrorism, climate change and global economic challenges.

Makkah attack a “red line”

PM Sharif opened his regional security message by highlighting the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, describing it as a collective commitment to defense, stability and peace rather than an alliance directed against any country.

He then condemned attacks targeting Saudi Arabia.

“We once again condemn in the strongest possible terms the recent deplorable attacks by the Houthis against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said.

Referring to the attempted drone attack on Makkah, he said: “Any threat to the safety and sanctity of the Harmain Sharifain is a red line that must never be crossed.”

Pakistan has repeatedly condemned the reported attack and reaffirmed its support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and the security of the Haramain Sharifain.

Pakistan pushes diplomacy in Iran-US conflict

Sharif also used the UN platform to highlight Pakistan’s efforts to bring the United States and Iran together during the wider regional conflict.

He recalled how Pakistan worked to bring Washington and Tehran “under one roof in Islamabad,” saying the subsequent Islamabad talks and Memorandum of Understanding represented important steps toward ending the conflict.

“At this critical moment, Pakistan chose to act swiftly,” Sharif said.

He specifically praised Pakistan Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for helping create space for diplomacy and commended Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for his role.

Sharif said the recent escalation made diplomacy even more urgent.

“Yet, amid the roar of missiles, drones, and guns, the voice for diplomacy must echo even louder and stronger,” he told the Assembly.

He also highlighted the strategic importance of regional waterways, saying the Strait of Hormuz and Bab Al-Mandab were “arteries of the global economy.”

“They must remain open, connecting nations, not becoming choke points of confrontation,” he said.

Pakistan has separately urged maximum restraint amid the regional escalation and warned of implications for maritime navigation and global energy supplies.

Kashmir remains central to Pakistan’s UN message

Turning to South Asia, PM Sharif said lasting peace in the region required a “just and fair solution” to the Kashmir dispute.

He said generations of Kashmiris had waited for the United Nations to fulfill its commitment to a free and impartial plebiscite.

PM Sharif slammed India of human rights violations and attempts to alter the legal and demographic character of Jammu and Kashmir.

“I assure my Kashmiri brothers and sisters with the fullest authority at my command that we shall continue to extend our full diplomatic, political, and moral support to them till they are granted their inalienable right to self-determination,” he said.

“Kashmir has and always will be Pakistan’s jugular vein,” PM Sharif added.

The Kashmir issue has been a recurring feature of Pakistan’s UNGA addresses, including PM Sharif’s previous speeches. In his 2024 address, he similarly described Kashmir as central to regional peace and called for implementation of relevant UN resolutions.

Warning over Indus Waters Treaty

PM Sharif then turned to the Indus Waters Treaty, saying the agreement governing the shared river system remained valid and binding.

“Water must never be weaponized; rivers should nourish nations, not divide them,” he said.

He rejected India’s decision to place the treaty in abeyance and said Pakistan’s position had been vindicated by what he described as findings by UN experts and the Court of Arbitration.

“Therefore, any attempt to stop, impede, or divert Pakistan’s share of the waters will be treated as an act of war,” PM Sharif warned.

“India must make no mistake about it,” he added.

The warning places water security alongside Kashmir and regional security as a central element of Pakistan’s message at this year’s General Assembly.

Palestine and Gaza

On Palestine, PM Sharif devoted a substantial portion of his address to the suffering of Palestinian civilians, particularly children.

He recalled the killing of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian girl whose case he had highlighted in his previous UNGA address, and referred to another Palestinian child, Bafa Akila, whose death he said had become another symbol of the conflict’s toll on children.

“What should have been the first day of her school became the last day of her life,” Sharif said.

He asked whether children born in Gaza should not have the same opportunities and future as children elsewhere.

Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s support for an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

“Pakistan believes that the only just and lasting solution is the creation of an independent, sovereign, viable, and contiguous state of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” he said.

He also condemned Israeli actions in the West Bank and called for an end to Israeli aggression against Lebanon and Syria.

The Palestine issue has been a consistent priority in Pakistan’s diplomatic messaging at this UNGA, including Sharif’s meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, where he reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Palestinian self-determination and statehood.

Terrorism and Afghanistan

PM Sharif also highlighted Pakistan’s counterterrorism campaign, saying the country had sacrificed almost 100,000 lives and suffered more than $150 billion in economic losses.

“As a frontline state in combating the menace of terrorism, we have fought terrorists in our own cities, in our own mountains, and along our frontier,” he said.

PM Sharif said Afghan soil continues to be used by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP (Fitna-ul-Khawarij), and Balochistan Liberation Army, or BLA (Fitna-ul-Hindustan), to carry out attacks against Pakistan, and called on the Afghan authorities to take verifiable and decisive action to prevent such activities.

“All such attacks, including incursions from the territory of Afghanistan, must come to a grinding halt,” PM Sharif said.

He urged Afghan authorities to take “verifiable, decisive action” against militant activity and also called for the protection of fundamental rights, particularly those of Afghan women and girls.

The issue comes as Pakistan has been pressing international partners and the Taliban authorities over an increase in terrorism emanating from Afghan territory. The Foreign Office has identified Afghanistan and regional security as key issues in Pakistan’s UNGA engagement.

Economic revival, climate vulnerability

Sharif also presented Pakistan’s economic reform agenda, saying his government had pursued structural reforms and fiscal discipline to restore macroeconomic stability.

He said Pakistan was modernizing agriculture and industry, developing mineral resources, digitizing the economy and expanding skills in artificial intelligence and information technology.

He highlighted Pakistan’s economic links with China through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, as well as expanding engagement with Gulf and Central Asian states.

Sharif also used the address to press developed countries over climate finance.

“Is it not an irony of fate that Pakistan contributes less than 1 percent of global emissions yet repeatedly bears the horrific consequences of climate change?” he asked.

He called for developed countries to honor climate finance commitments, fund loss and damage and support adaptation and resilience in vulnerable developing countries.

Sharif calls for UN reform

Sharif also backed reform of the United Nations, including changes to the Security Council.

He said the UN80 initiative should make the organization “stronger, more coherent, and more effective” and called for a Security Council that was more representative, democratic and accountable.

“Reform must reflect the interest and aspirations of the overwhelming majority of member states, not the ambitions of a select few,” he said.

“Our motto remains: reform for all, privilege for none.”

‘Peace is far better choice’

PM Sharif closed his address by returning to the central theme of diplomacy and peace.

He said the world was living through a dangerous period but argued that the future was not predetermined.

“War is a choice, but peace is also a far better choice,” he said.

“And sometimes the greater courage lies not in starting a war, but in preventing one.”

PM Sharif said Pakistan had made its choice.

“We have chosen dialogue over confrontation, cooperation over coercion, and peace over war,” he said, calling on the 81st General Assembly to make the same choice.

His address came after an intensive round of diplomatic engagement in New York, including meetings with Guterres, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Guterres separately commended Pakistan’s mediation efforts and its contribution to international peace and security.