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Mr. President,
We thank you for organizing today’s open debate. The scourge of terrorism is among the most serious threats to international peace and security of our times. We appreciate your effort to focus on this phenomenon in order to strengthen international cooperation to counter it.
I would also like to commend your delegation for preparing a useful concept note to inform this debate. We agree with you that terrorism can only be defeated when all Member States unite and effectively coordinate their efforts. Your initiative is also timely, Mr. President, as we approach the review of the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy on its tenth anniversary this June.
Mr. President,
Pakistan condemns all terrorist acts perpetrated anywhere in the world for whatever reason. We fully endorse the need for the international community to join hands to combat this menace, urgently and effectively.
In the past fifteen years, the United Nations and its Member States have made huge investments in countering terrorism. But despite all these efforts our goal remains elusive. We have had successes - substantial successes. But with each success, we also encountered a new challenge, at times more imposing than the one we surmounted. It is time to assess why this is so.
Ten years ago, when Member States deliberated upon the draft of the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy, Pakistan was a leading voice urging the international community to focus on the root causes of terrorism. In our view, security measures alone were not enough to address the underlying causes. The more we resorted to kinetic means alone to defeat terrorist groups, the more we saw their proliferation.
Today, the terrorist threat has become more pervasive and has evolved in complex and unpredictable directions, posing an even greater danger to international peace and security. Now, in addition to existing challenges, a multitude of small terrorist cells and violent extremists, perpetrating guerilla style or lone wolf attacks have emerged.
Mr. President,
Now that the international community has finally acknowledged the need to craft preventive approaches to violent extremism, it is important that we address all its drivers, both local and international, in a comprehensive manner. In today’s globalized world, little operates in isolation. We must deal with both external and internal dimensions and recognize the complex interplay between local and international factors to prevent violent extremism that leads to terrorism.
Mr. President,
At the same time, our focus on a preventive approach should not be at the cost of counter-measures against terrorism. Member States must continue to act individually, as well as with the United Nations, to implement relevant Security Council resolutions, as well as to take steps beyond their international obligations.
Pakistan’s commitment to the campaign against terrorism is clear, present and tangible. We have adopted a comprehensive approach to what is a multi-faceted phenomenon and a diverse policy toolkit to address it.
Half of our National Action Plan to counter terrorism focuses on a preventive approach and the other half on security measures. And most of the Action points in this plan go well beyond our international obligations.
Pakistan is perhaps among the few countries, which has a Ministerial level Committee to oversee the implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions. Over the past five years, we have taken significant strides in upgrading our measures for the counter-financing of terrorism. The Financial Action Task Force acknowledged these steps last year, as we continue to cooperate with it and strengthen our implementation measures.
On the security front, we have made significant gains. We have sought to eliminate all terrorist groups, through forceful law enforcement actions and targeted military operations. Operation Zarb-e-Azb, launched in June 2014, is the largest anti-terrorism campaign anywhere in the world, and has produced remarkable results. Thousands have been killed or captured. The rest are on the run as we enter the final phase of this offensive in out tribal areas.
At the same time, through well-coordinated, intelligence-based law enforcement operations across Pakistan, a focused campaign has been underway against terrorist sleeper cells, their supporters, sympathizers and financiers. With the operation now in its conclusive phase in North Waziristan, their few remaining hideouts will be cleared.
Mr. President,
Pakistan has been at the forefront of the global fight against terrorism. We have lost tens of thousands of lives in this fight, but this has not shaken our resolve to continue this campaign until the last terrorist is eliminated from our soil. It is therefore reprehensible that some cast aspersions about our contribution. Baseless accusations only set us back and undermine our joint efforts to counter terrorism.
Mr. President,
The need for all States to work together, in a coordinated and cooperative manner, to address this menace comprehensively in all its forms and manifestations, has never been as compelling as it is today.
I thank you, Mr. President.