Photo courtesy PID
Addressing the 78th session of the U.N. General Assembly on Friday, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar urged the U.N. Security Council to ensure the implementation of its resolutions regarding Kashmir, stressing that resolving the longstanding dispute is key to establishing peace between Pakistan and India.
“India has evaded implementation of the Security Council’s resolutions, which call for the final disposition of Jammu and Kashmir to be decided by its people through U.N.-supervised plebiscite,” he said. “Development depends on peace,” he continued, adding that Islamabad desired “peaceful and productive relations” with all its neighbors. However, he regretted, India had expanded its footprint in Kashmir since Aug. 5, 2019, deploying 900,000 troops; imposing extended lockdowns and curfews; jailing Kashmiri leaders; violently suppressing peaceful protests; resorting to extra-judicial killings in fake “encounters” and “cordon and search operations”; and imposed collective punishments.
“Access to occupied Kashmir, demanded by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and over a dozen Special Rapporteurs, has been denied by New Delhi,” he said and called for the reinforcement of the U.N. Military Observer Group for India and Pakistan. Global powers, he emphasized, should convince Delhi to accept Islamabad’s offer of mutual restraint on strategic and conventional weapons.
Slamming the Indian government for “state terrorism,” he stressed that terror should be counter without discrimination, “including the rising threat posed by far-right extremist and fascist groups such as Hindutva-inspired extremists, threatening genocide against Indian Muslims and Christians alike.” Delhi, he advised, should address the root causes of terrorism, such as poverty, injustice and foreign occupation and distinguish genuine freedom struggle from terrorism.
Islamophobia
“Make no mistake,” said Kakar. “It is a latent threat that undermines millennia of progress. We need to cherish and celebrate our diversity and different ways of life. Mutual respect, sanctity of religious symbols, scriptures and personages should be ensured,” he said, referring to Islamophobia. Noting it was an “age-old” phenomenon, he said it had gained “epidemic proportions” after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as witnessed through the negative profiling of Muslims and attacks on Islamic sites and symbols such as recent public desecrations of the holy Quran.
He recalled that the UNGA had, last year, adopted a resolution proposed by Pakistan on behalf of the OIC declaring March 15 as an International Day to Combat Islamophobia. He said Pakistan and OIC countries would propose further steps to combat Islamophobia, including the appointment of a special envoy, the creation of an Islamophobia data center, legal assistance to victims and an accountability process to punish such crimes.
Afghanistan
Pakistan, he said, shared the global community’s concerns regarding Afghanistan and prioritized preventing and countering terrorism emanating from the country. However, he added, Islamabad believed humanitarian assistance to the war-torn state should continue, as this was the only way to revive Kabul’s economy and ensure protection for its vulnerable citizens, especially women and children.
“Pakistan condemns cross-border terrorist attacks against Pakistan by the TTP, Da’esh and other groups operating from Afghanistan,” he said, adding Islamabad had sought Kabul’s support to curtail them and was also taking independent measures in this regard.
Economy
Emphasizing that Pakistan was committed to rapid economic recovery, the caretaker prime minister said it was stabilizing its foreign exchange reserves and currency; expanding domestic revenues and mobilizing significant domestic and external investment. The Special Investment Facilitation Council, he said, was aimed at expediting investment decisions, with 28 projects already identified in priority sectors. Additionally, he said, the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)—covering railways, infrastructure and manufacturing projects—had begun.
On Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at reducing poverty, he called for ensuing the implementation of the “SDG Stimulus”; re-channeling of unused Special Drawing Rights for development; expansion of concessional lending by multilateral development banks; and resolution of debt problems of 59 countries in debt distress. Pakistan, he said, hoped developed nations would fulfill climate change commitments made at CoP28 to provide over $100 billion in annual climate finance to help developing nations build climate adaptation.
Noting Pakistan was one of the countries worst-affected by climate change, he recalled that last year’s floods had submerged a third of the country; left 1,700 dead and displaced over 8 million people; costing $30 billion in damages. Appreciating the $10.5 billion committed for Pakistan’s recovery plan at the Geneva Conference, he said specific projects were being submitted to ensure timely funding and execution. “I hope our development partners will accord priority to release of funds for our resilient recovery plan, which has been costed at $13 billion,” he added.
No Elitism
Welcoming the normalization of Saudi-Iranian ties, Kakar expressed dismay over the continuing tragedy of Palestine, noting ongoing Israeli military raids, airstrikes, expansion of settlements and evictions of Palestinians. “Durable peace can be established only through a two-state solution and the establishment of a viable and contiguous Palestinian State within the pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” he added.
On UNSC reform, the interim prime minister said Pakistan did not believe in elitism within the comity of nations, stressing that adding additional permanent members to the body would further erode its credibility and legitimacy. “The widest possible agreement can be best achieved on the basis of the Uniting for Consensus Group’s proposal for expansion of the Council only in the non-permanent category with provision for a limited number of longer-term seats,” he said. “Pakistan believes that to build, preserve and promote peace and prosperity today, and in the future, it is vital to reduce great power rivalry and tensions; ensure strict adherence to the U.N. Charter; consistently implement Security Council resolutions; eliminate the root causes of conflicts; and respect the principles of non-use of force; self-determination; sovereignty and territorial integrity; non-interference in the internal affairs of states and peaceful co-existence,” he added.
The prime minister also hailed the U.N. peacekeeping operations, vowing that Pakistan would continue to work with the global body to develop the capabilities and more robust mandate required for successful enforcement action.
Earlier, Kakar emphasized that the world could not afford a new Cold War, noting the need for unity to address challenges such as the global economy, pandemics, conflicts and climate change.