UNITED NATIONS - At the United Nations, Pakistan has reiterated its condemnation of the latest US drone strikes in North Waziristan, while affirming its commitment to fight terrorism. Speaking in the General Assembly, Pakistan UN Ambassador Masood Khan said the drone attacks violate Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. "These strikes have an adverse impact on the government’s efforts to bring peace and stability to Pakistan and the region," he told the 193-member body, which began a review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
The strategy, which was adopted in 2006, consists of four pillars: measures to address conditions conducive to terrorism’s spread; measures to prevent and combat terrorism; measures to build states’ capacity to prevent and combat terrorism and to strengthen the role of the UN system; measures to ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law as the fundamental basis for the fight against terrorism.
The Pakistani envoy also said the use of remotely piloted aircraft must comply with the United Nations Charter.
Continuing, Masood Khan called for defeating terrorism through a comprehensive approach that gives a push to efforts aimed at addressing the root causes of terrorism, notably unresolved conflicts, political and economic injustices, as well as political marginalisation and alienation.
"The complex challenge of terrorism defies simplified solutions and needs a comprehensive approach. A piecemeal effort will not eliminate this scourge. Similarly, a uni-dimensional approach focused exclusively on operational or political measures will not produce the desired results," he saifd.
In the course of the debate, member states condemned the recent terrorist attacks and the abduction of Turkish diplomats in Iraq, as well as the attacks in Nigeria and Pakistan, calling for a deepening of international cooperation and a full and balanced implementation of the strategy’s four pillars.
In his remarks, the Pakistani envoy urged intensified efforts to tackle the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, as well as to build capacities and ensure respect for human rights. Economic and social development must be promoted.
Pakistan, he said, deterred terrorists primarily by military means, having allocated resources for the development of areas hardest hit by terrorism. "We have also pursued dialogue to stop carnage and bring stability but after making it clear that dialogue should not be seen as a sign of weakness or appeasement."
Pakistan had deployed more than 158,000 troops along its border with Afghanistan and set up 1,707 border posts to interdict Al-Qaeda and Taliban members, the Pakistani envoy said. Pakistan was committed to intensifying international cooperation in security, police and financial matters. In addition, Pakistan was party to 11 universal and two regional counter-terrorism instruments.
"There should be no impunity for terrorist acts,” Masood Khan said. "Education and the media should be used as powerful tools to banish the darkness in which terrorism and violent extremism grow."