Statement by Ambassador Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, at the Security Council debate on United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) (21 June 2016)

Mr. President,

My delegation thanks the Secretary General for his report and Special Representative Nicholas Haysom for his briefing.

Let me, at the start, condemn the attacks in Kabul and Badakshan.

Also, let me at the outset reject the unjustified, untrue and gratuitous comments made by the Afghan Representative, casting uncalled for aspersions on my country and our state institutions. The international community is well aware of and acknowledges Pakistan’s contribution and sacrifices in countering terrorism.

This is a somber moment for the people of Afghanistan, for the region, and for the international community, which has invested so much blood and treasure to restore peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The Secretary General's report's observes that there has been no significant improvement in the political, security and economic situation in Afghanistan. On the contrary attacks by insurgent groups have intensified; economic opportunity is absent; the reconciliation process is frozen; hopes for peace are waning; and the confluence of these factors has magnified the suffering of the people of Afghanistan and the threat to regional peace and security.

The Warsaw Summit and the Brussels Conference will be further opportunities for the international community to provide the support, which Afghanistan obviously needs to overcome these multiple challenges to peace and development.

Yet, ultimately, it is the responsibility of the Afghan Government to deliver on the commitments to its own people.

Mr. President,

In his report, the Secretary General has expressed and reinforced the firm international consensus that, “only by a negotiated political agreement will Afghans achieve sustainable peace”. This is precisely what Pakistan has long proposed as the only course to end the decades of war and suffering in Afghanistan.

Based on this belief in a negotiated peace, and in response to repeated requests from President Ashraf Ghani, Pakistan agreed to facilitate the first-ever direct peace talks between the Afghan Government and the Afghan Taliban in Murree in June 2015.

This was a promising start to a process aimed at ending Afghanistan’s long conflict. Unfortunately, days before the second round, in which the two sides were to also consider a de-escalation of violence, the talks were scuttled by developments that are well known to you.

Another period of concerted efforts led to the establishment of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) in December 2016 in Islamabad, by which Afghanistan, the US, China and Pakistan undertook to join together to provide a decisive impetus to Afghanistan's peace efforts. The international community welcomed this development.

The Group held five meetings in which a road map for a peace process was drawn up. In its meeting of 18 May 2016, the QCG agreed that a negotiated settlement was the most viable option. Efforts, by Pakistan and others, were underway for the early resumption of peace talks. Despite posturing by both Afghan parties, a revived dialogue was within reach.

This process was destroyed by the US drone attack of 21 May which killed the Taliban leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour.

Is it an accident that, in less than a year, the possibility for a negotiated peace in Afghanistan has been scuttled, not once but twice?

Mr. President,

The US drone strike on our territory was a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and a blatant breach of the principles of the UN Charter and international law.

This unacceptable action has also dealt a blow to the Afghan peace process and added to the intensity and complexity of the Afghan conflict.

It has raised serious questions. Does the international community desire a negotiated or a military solution in Afghanistan? Is it ready to invest in war rather than peace in Afghanistan?

Mr. President,

The use of force for the past 15 years has failed to stabilize Afghanistan. Continued resort to military means will further destabilize the situation in Afghanistan and the region. Pakistan would advise against such a strategy.

Mr. President,

In the last 35 years, other than Afghanistan, Pakistan has suffered more than any country from the consequences of foreign intervention, conflict and terrorism in Afghanistan. Several thousand Pakistani civilians and security personnel have died at the hands of terrorists.

Mr. President,

Pakistan's policies and priorities are clear.

First and foremost, we will eliminate all terrorist threats within Pakistan.

Pakistan's Operation Zarb-e-Azb is the largest and most effective anti-terrorism campaign anywhere in the world, involving over 180,000 of our security forces. In two years of this operation substantial gains have been made in cleansing our country of terrorists.

Our Operation will continue until our objectives have been accomplished.

These objectives will not be fully met until the sanctuaries and safe havens of terrorists who have fled our Operation to Afghanistan have been eliminated. We urge the government in Kabul, and the international coalition, to take action against Tehrik-i-Taliban elements, which have sought refuge in Afghanistan.

Secondly, it is self evident that effective border control and management is vital to prevent the movement of militants across the 2700 km-long Pakistan-Afghan border.

Pakistan proposed a number of border SOPs to Afghanistan two years ago. They still await finalization. So does Pakistan's proposal to establish a Joint Border Commission.

Effective border management is the sovereign right of my country. Pakistan will take measures on its side of the border accordingly. It is disingenuous to characterize steps aimed at regulating the border as illegal. There is nothing, repeat nothing illegal, about any construction on our side of the border.

Third, and related to this, is the problem posed by the 3 million Afghan refugees who remain on Pakistani soil after more than 30 years. To say the least, our hospitality, and our challenges in hosting the most protracted presence of refugees anywhere in the world, needs to be appreciated and supported by the international community. But we also expect that tangible steps will be taken for the early return of refugees to their homeland with honor and dignity.

Finally, Mr. President, Pakistan remains ready to support a genuine Afghan peace process. But, we will not tolerate violations of Pakistan's sovereignty and its territorial integrity, from whatever source. Those who seek a renewed recourse to a military solution need to think through the consequences of their posture.

Also we would urge the Government of Afghanistan not to externalize its internal problems and blame others for its own failures.

The QCG remains a viable mechanism to promote a genuine peace process. But this process will have to be pursued with patience and perseverance. Success will be assured only when the Afghan parties themselves come to the conclusion that there is no military solution to the Afghan war and peace can be achieved only through an unconditional dialogue, which will require difficult compromises by both sides.

I thank you.