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Mr President,
I will begin by extending my felicitations on the successful Turkish Presidency of the Security Council and for your able guidance of the Council’s work during this month.
I will also compliment the Afghan Foreign Minister and the SRSG Steffan de Mistura. I think this time there is a lot of positive change in the UN work in Afghanistan. The Secretary General is emphasizing a change for the better and there seems to be progress all round as noted by him in his quarterly report. I would like to congratulate all of them for the achievements and the movement forward in Afghanistan.
Over the years, the Secretary General’s reports have become a credible pronouncement on progress and setbacks in Afghanistan. I am happy to note that in the latest report, progress outweighs setbacks. This trend must be sustained.
Mr. President,
The Secretary General’s report under consideration today, has rightly mentioned the Kabul Conference, as the major political development of last three months. The Conference is a landmark event. Its outcome i.e. the Kabul process has generated the optimism of a destination in-sight.
The Kabul process clearly spells out respective roles of the Afghan Government and the International Community, in terms of joint commitments and detailed benchmarks. As the Afghan government assumes greater responsibilities in areas of security, governance, economic and social development, it would need continuous support of the international community and this must be forthcoming. It is our sincere hope that parties on both side of this equation would fulfill their mandated tasks. We agree with the Secretary General that for Kabul Process to succeed, our efforts must be focused on priority areas with appropriate sequencing and coordination.
Mr. President,
The Secretary General has also cautioned that optimism and progress achieved in Afghanistan (quote) “continue to be overshadowed by deterioration in the security situation” (unquote). He has rightly observed that in the context of security, the Government’s efforts to implement ‘Peace and Reintegration Programme’ are particularly important.
The vexing question of security, in a society suffering from four decades of war, cannot be addressed by imposing another war. Military action alone is and will not be a solution to Afghanistan’s problems.
We share the view expressed by the Secretary General that a viable reconciliation process is vital for durable and long-term peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan supports an Afghan-led and inclusive reconciliation process to bring the opposition groups in political mainstream. We, therefore, welcome the establishment of ‘the High-level Peace Council’ in Afghanistan. It is our hope that the Security Council would continue to be a willing partner of the Afghan Government in the reconciliation process.
Mr. President,
Pakistan has always emphasized the importance of regional unity to deal with challenges of security and development in Afghanistan. In this context, the immediate neighbours of Afghanistan have a special role in its stability.
Pakistan is engaged in a number of important regional initiatives on Afghanistan with other countries. These initiatives aim at a greater regional connectivity with a view to promoting economic and commercial cooperation and rooting out the menaces of narcotics, terrorism and extremism.
Pakistan is deeply committed to strengthening ties with Afghanistan in all areas. Our bilateral relations are marked by close cooperation in all fields. There is continuous dialogue and regular exchange of visits at the highest levels. President Hamid Karzai paid an important visit to Pakistan this month. The Joint Statement issued on the occasion of his visit charts the future trajectory of our bilateral relations.
Earlier, our two countries had successfully concluded the Transit Trade Agreement, upgrading a similar agreement signed in 1962.
We have pledged to continue with development projects in Afghanistan, despite our constraints as a result of unprecedented floods in Pakistan.
We are also engaged in security and intelligence cooperation with Afghanistan, including through the Tripartite Commission, which also includes the United States and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Pakistan has commended the Afghan nation, Government and the Independent Election Commission (IEC) on successful holding of the Wolesi Jirga elections, on 18 September 2010. These elections demonstrated the commitment to strengthen democratic traditions and institutions in Afghanistan, despite numerous challenges and those who know the region well --- I think Stefan will tell how difficult is to bring democracy into this region.
We call for early and voluntary return of nearly three million Afghan refugees that still live in Pakistan but we note with well the progress in the matter. Voluntary return of 91,583 Afghan refugees from Pakistan in last three months, as noted in the report, is gratifying. We would stress the need of strengthening reintegration programmes for refugees, within Afghanistan's development strategy. We expect the United Nations and the international community to assist in this endeavour.
I would like to say here that in history there have been corridors that for centuries have led from Afghanistan eastwards into the heart of India. I think the largest Afghan led Kingdom was in Madhya Pradesh --- by the name of Bhopal. Interestingly, where in North Waziristan and Orakzai Agencies, where we are combating terrorism; the largest Kingdom in India was an Orakzais Kingdom in Bhopal. This shows that it is not sanctuaries that people need to worry about it is centuries of travel into these areas that have remained where they are.
The United Nations through its Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) under the able leadership of Stefan de Mistura is playing a commendable role in Afghanistan. Pakistan greatly values UNAMA’s activities in areas of governance assistance, aid-delivery; judicial reforms; coordination among donors; humanitarian assistance; eradication of poppy/counter-narcotics and removal of landmines. I would take this opportunity to reiterate all possible assistance to SRSG de Mistura and his team.
Mr. President,
As the international community is completing the first decade of engagement with Afghanistan after the Bonn Process, it must remain steadfast in its commitments and introspective in its conduct.
Next month, the Security Council will consider the mandate of the ISAF. Meanwhile, the Afghan Government will also be following up on the Kabul Conference and Reconciliation process. These are important landmarks in our journey to rebuild Afghanistan. Let the history of Afghanistan be our guiding star in this challenging journey.
I will conclude by highlighting one aspect of history ---- my friend Ambassador Tanin can correct me if I am wrong. When Amir Abdul Rahman of Afghanistan signed the Durand Line Treaty with the British in 1893 (establishing the present-day borderline between Afghanistan and Pakistan), he was asked as to why he did not pursue the territorial adjustments that could have resulted in inclusion of certain borderlands (that now form part of tribal areas of Pakistan) into Afghanistan. He had replied with a smile that those areas were inhabited by bad people and let the British rein them. Most certainly, all people of these areas are not bad but Pakistan is doing its best to rein the terrorists and extremists elements there.
Thank you.