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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker (NA) Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has warned that the credibility of the United Nations system is under threat, according to an official statement on Wednesday, as he called for a return to multilateralism to address long-standing conflicts in places like Palestine and Kashmir.

Speaking at the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva, Sadiq said the international system was being undermined by populism, unilateralism and the politicization of humanitarian principles.

He stressed the need for diplomacy and institutional reform to restore global trust in the system.

“The world has witnessed enough bloodshed,” Sadiq told parliamentary leaders from around the globe. “It is time for new thinking, time to embrace pluralism, time to respect diversity and time for a new beginning.”

Citing the UN Security Council’s failure to resolve protracted disputes around the world, he said peaceful conflict resolution must now be treated not only as a legal obligation, but a strategic imperative.

Coercion and unilateral action, he added, cannot deliver sustainable peace.

Sadiq evoked Geneva’s historic role as the heart of diplomacy, recalling that the city had been the birthplace and graveyard of the League of Nations.

He maintained today’s multilateral institutions risk a similar fate if they continue to be undermined by narrow nationalism and hegemonic politics.

The NA speaker praised the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2788, led by Pakistan during its recent presidency, which calls for strengthening global mechanisms for peaceful dispute settlement through mediation, arbitration, judicial action and diplomatic engagement.

Turning to the global economy, he said over 100 developing countries are facing debt distress or liquidity crises, highlighting what he described as systemic shortcomings in the international financial and trade architecture.

Sadiq called for urgent reforms to build a fairer, development-oriented global financial system that supports the Global South, enhances economic resilience and reduces inequality.

He also reiterated Pakistan’s longstanding call to reform and democratize the UN Security Council, making it more representative, accountable and transparent.

Only such reform, he added, can help restore trust in multilateralism and enable the global system to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday human smuggling incidents involving Pakistani migrants had declined following a series of deadly boat tragedies, crediting law enforcement actions for curbing the crime, which he described as an organized global enterprise of exploitation.

Sharif’s remarks came in a statement marking the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed this year under the theme “Human Trafficking: A Coordinated Crime – End Exploitation.”

The message follows a series of maritime tragedies over the past two years in which scores of Pakistanis have drowned while attempting to reach Europe through irregular sea routes.

These included a shipwreck off Greece in mid-2023, a December 2024 incident near the Greek coast, a January 2025 disaster off Morocco and two separate capsizings off the Libyan coast in early and mid-2025.

“To prevent such incidents and bring traffickers to justice, the federal government formed a special task force for timely intervention,” Sharif said in the statement circulated by the Prime Minister’s Office to mark the day.

“It is encouraging that the task force has worked with diligence and strategy to address the root causes, motives and consequences of this grave crime,” he added. “The FIA and Intelligence Bureau have significantly reduced the activities of human smuggling networks, and complicit officials have also been held accountable.”

The prime minister described human smuggling as a “transnational crime” that targets vulnerable people in search of livelihoods.

“Criminal networks around the world exploit citizens seeking employment opportunities through human smuggling,” he said.

“In recent years, the tragic deaths of Pakistani migrants who drowned while trying to travel abroad illegally have further exposed the horrific and dangerous face of human smuggling.”

Sharif noted the government was not only targeting smugglers but also educating the public about safe, legal avenues for overseas employment.

He emphasized while the state is working to create job opportunities at home and abroad, risking one’s life through illegal routes was both dangerous and a violation of national and international law.

Pakistan actively participates in global platforms to counter trafficking, including the Budapest Process, Bali Process and the STARSOM Project, which focus on regional cooperation across Asia, Africa and the Americas.

“Today is an opportunity to renew our collective resolve,” the prime minister said, “to ensure that federal and provincial governments, law enforcement agencies, the foreign ministry and intelligence institutions continue to play their part in eradicating this heinous crime.”