Pakistan, 2006

I am indeed very happy to

see a sister from fraternal Bahrain presiding over the

General Assembly at this important session. Your

election, Madam, symbolizes the increasingly

significant role that women are playing in the Muslim

world. You will have Pakistan’s full support in carrying

out your challenging responsibilities.

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This is the first time that I have addressed this

body since the devastating earthquake that occurred in

the northern regions of Pakistan last October. I

therefore take this opportunity to express our deepest

gratitude for the relief and financial assistance that we

received from around the world. We were deeply

moved by the global solidarity displayed in the hour of

our distress and need.

Multilateral cooperation is the key to addressing

the existing and emerging challenges of the twenty-

first century: political disputes, terrorism, proliferation,

poverty, hunger, disease, economic disparities,

migration, unemployment, environmental degradation

and natural disasters. We appreciate the Secretary-

General’s initiatives to equip the United Nations to

respond to those challenges. But we are yet a distance

from the vision endorsed at the 2005 United Nations

Summit.

Over the past six years, despite daunting external

and internal challenges, Pakistan has been transformed

into a dynamic nation, moving rapidly towards the

vision of our founder, namely, a modern, progressive,

Islamic and democratic republic. We have reformed our

institutions of governance and our economy.

Democratic governance has been introduced at the

grass-roots level. We are focusing on lifting up the

underprivileged sectors of our society: poor people,

women and minorities. Women are being politically

and economically empowered and protected against

discrimination. Minorities have been politically

mainstreamed. We have also unshackled the media.

Having successfully put our economy on an

upsurge, we are now embarked on second-generation

reforms to spread the benefits of growth to all our

people. One of our strategic aims is to utilize

Pakistan’s unique geostrategic position to build trade,

energy and communication corridors linking South

Asia, West Asia, Central Asia and China. Regional

integration will accelerate economic growth and

prosperity in our part of Asia and even beyond. Of

course, Pakistan still faces daunting challenges from

within and without. We are facing them boldly to build

an environment of peace and stability in our region.

Pakistan desires a peaceful environment in the

region. We have been engaged in a peace process with

India aimed at building confidence and resolving

issues — including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute —

that have been the source of tension and conflict

between the two countries in the past. The improved

relations and the conducive international environment

have brought an acceptable solution to this long-

standing dispute within reach. I am confident that my

positive meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

in Havana will help to carry the peace process forward,

which is vital for the future of both countries and for

peace in South Asia and beyond.

A stable security environment is also important

for peace in our region. Pakistan has proposed the

creation of a strategic restraint regime in South Asia,

encompassing minimum nuclear deterrence and a

balance of conventional forces. We do not want to

enter into an arms race. But we will do whatever is

necessary to preserve the credibility of our minimum

defensive deterrence level.

Pakistan has a legitimate requirement for nuclear

power generation to meet the energy needs of our

expanding economy and our expanding industry. As a

responsible nuclear State, we will continue to seek

nuclear technology for power generation under

International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. We

cannot accept discrimination in the nuclear field.

Peace and stability in Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s

vital interest. It will assure tranquillity on our western

frontiers. It will also enable Pakistan to realize its

ambition of linking Central Asia and South Asia

through Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Afghanistan confronts complex security, political

and economic challenges, including a resurgent Taliban

that also threatens Pakistan’s efforts to combat

extremism and terrorism. The common challenge

imposes a joint responsibility on Pakistan, Afghanistan

and the coalition forces.

Problems in the border regions of Pakistan and

Afghanistan are compounded by the continuing

presence in Pakistan of over 3 million Afghan refugees,

some of them sympathetic to the Taliban. The

incentives offered by the international community to

the refugees for their voluntary return are minimal. A

serious international commitment is required to

facilitate their repatriation to their country.

The unfortunate history of our region has placed

Pakistan in the frontline of the global campaign against

terrorism. We cooperate daily with many countries,

including the United States and the United Kingdom.

Our cooperation has pre-empted several terrorist plots,

19 06-52731

such as the one uncovered recently to blow up airliners

flying from London. Over the past five years, Al-Qaida

has been significantly degraded as an organization in

our region.

While we confront terrorism our strategy must

seek to eliminate this phenomenon comprehensively.

We cannot do so unless we understand and address the

root causes of terrorism today. How are terrorists able

to find willing recruits, even among educated young

people, in advanced and democratic societies? The

reasons are clear. Across the Muslim world, old

conflicts and new campaigns of military intervention

have spawned a deep sense of desperation and

injustice. Each new battleground involving an Islamic

State has served as a new breeding ground for

extremists and terrorists. Indiscriminate bombings,

civilian casualties, torture, human rights abuses, racial

slurs and discrimination only add to the challenge of

defeating terrorism.

In my view, a two-pronged strategy, which I call

enlightened moderation, is required to address the

situation. That strategy envisages that, apart from

combating terrorism frontally, the international

community must undertake resolute efforts to resolve

the conflicts afflicting the Islamic world. Unless we

end the foreign occupation of Muslim countries and

suppression of Muslim peoples, terrorism and

extremism will continue to find recruits among

alienated Muslims in various parts of the world.

We also need to bridge, through dialogue and

understanding, the growing divide between the Islamic

and Western worlds. In particular, it is imperative to

end racial and religious discrimination against Muslims

and to prohibit the defamation of Islam. It is most

disappointing to see personalities of high standing

oblivious to Muslim sensitivities at these critical

moments.

The greatest challenge to global security, to the

campaign against terrorism, to the promotion of

harmony among civilizations and to the credibility of

the United Nations is the cauldron of conflict that is

the Middle East — exemplified by the latest Israeli

aggression against Lebanon. We hope that the

resolution painstakingly brokered in the Security

Council will lead to a rapid and complete Israeli

withdrawal and the restoration of Lebanon’s

sovereignty over its entire territory.

The attack on Lebanon has far-reaching

implications for the Middle East. The ability and

relevance of moderate forces to bring about a just

peace in the region has been put to a very severe test.

The world must, however, still support them to address

the festering problems of the region comprehensively

and fairly. It is time to end Israel’s conflicts with all its

neighbours. It is time, first and foremost, to end the

tragedy of Palestine. There is no doubt in our mind —

there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind — that that

lies at the core not only of tackling the problems of

Iraq and Afghanistan, but also of dealing with the

menaces of terrorism and extremism at their roots.

The confrontation over Iran’s nuclear programme

threatens further instability in this already inflamed

region. We are encouraged by the “Iran and 5 + 1”

negotiations and believe that this issue can be resolved

peacefully in a manner that accommodates the

legitimate rights and interests of all parties involved.

Resort to coercion and worse, the use of force, could

lead to grave consequences in the region and globally.

The dynamic economic performance of several

developing countries, especially in Asia, has

transformed the world’s geo-economic map. Yet, most

developing countries find that international trade and

financial structures are weighted against them. With

the Doha Round in the doldrums, new modalities must

be found so as to utilize the full potential of trade for

development. Similarly, the international financial

system should ensure a more equitable share of

international liquidity and investment for developing

countries.

Unless the activities of the United Nations

accommodate the concerns and priorities of its general

membership, the Organization risks losing its global

moral authority. The General Assembly should reassert

its Charter responsibilities, and the Security Council

should be reformed to make the activities of the

Council more democratic, transparent, inclusive and

accountable to the general membership. The reform of

the Security Council is of vital interest to every

Member State and must therefore be adopted by

consensus or by the widest possible agreement.

This important session of the Assembly will elect

the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Pakistan hopes that consensus will soon develop in the

Security Council and the Assembly on a qualified

candidate from Asia. Pakistan will extend its full

06-52731 20

support to the new Secretary-General, as we have done

to Mr. Kofi Annan, to build a United Nations that can

decisively advance the world towards the noble vision

of preventing the scourge of war and promoting better

standards of living for all peoples of the world in

freedom.