London Mayor Sadiq Khan praises PM Shehbaz for holding US-Iran peace talks
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has commended Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for Pakistan’s role in supporting peace efforts between the United States and Iran, stressing that PM Shehbaz has shown statesmanship and deserves lots of credit for the role he has played, reported 24News HD TV Channel on Monday.
Speaking to the media at the Vaisakhi celebrations in Trafalgar Square, London, Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “The Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif deserves great credit. We’ve seen Vice President J.D. in Pakistan. We’ve seen the Iranian team in Pakistan. We want this ceasefire to be permanent. It’s really important to recognise the importance of peacekeeping. Disputes are solved amicably and peacefully, and diplomacy is really important.”
Sadiq Khan said, smiling, that President Trump is not known for appreciating people, but the fact that he has been praising PM Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir says a great deal about the significance Pakistan has achieved through its peace efforts.
He said: “President Trump is praising Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. We’ve got to recognize that had this meeting not taken place in Pakistan, had Pakistan not offered to host as a trusted partner, and the big thing about Pakistan being a trusted partner is that both Iran and the USA agreed to go to Islamabad and have these talks. We’ve got to hope, Inshallah, that there is peace, that this ceasefire holds, because look, it’s affecting all of us. It’s affecting the economy in Pakistan. It’s affecting the economy in the UK. It’s affecting the economy in Europe because of Iran and the USA. And so peace is good for everyone, and Pakistan should be very proud of the role it has played.”
He said that such criticism was unfair and baseless, and showed how there has been, across the UK and “across the globe, an increase in hatred, anti-Muslim hatred, Islamophobia. We are deeply suspicious across the globe. You’ve got right-wing, nativist populists bringing unacceptable views to the centre. The good news, we’ve got fantastic allies. Keir Starmer defended the British values of respect and celebration.