Pakistan’s prime minister talks Kashmir, floods at UN

By MALLIKA SEN
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has appealed for a peaceful end to the dispute over Kashmir and deplored regional instability. He was invoking the perennial themes of Pakistan’s U.N. addresses after dedicating the first half of his speech Friday to the ravages of recent floods. Sharif said the flood-induced devastation means it’s incumbent on Pakistan to “ensure rapid economic growth and lift millions out of poverty and hunger.” But Sharif said Pakistan needs a stable environment to do so. That means peace in South Asia that he said hinges on a resolution of the decadeslong dispute over Jammu and Kashmir.