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Madam President,
We thank the Secretary General for his report as well as Special Representative of the Secretary General on Afghanistan, Nicholas Haysom, for his detailed briefing this morning.
Madam President,
The one common thread of the Report, the briefing and the statements today was the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. As the Secretary General has said in his Report, the temporary capture of Kunduz by the Taliban was a result of the formidable security, economic and political challenges faced by the country. Continued international support therefore remains critical
Pakistan, for its part, has condemned violence and the rising number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan. Nothing justifies indiscriminate killing. We have vowed our full support to the Government of Afghanistan for improving the situation, but it is the Afghans themselves who have to put their house in order.
Madam President,
The two paths to ending instability in Afghanistan in our view are, the military option or a negotiated peace process. There is clear international consensus that use of force alone may not achieve peace in the country. A robust and meaningful reconciliation process, if pursued seriously, is the only sustainable way to achieving our common objective.
It was in this spirit that Pakistan had, in good faith and at President Ghani's request, facilitated the first ever direct talks between the Afghan Government and the Taliban. We stand ready to play a similar role again.
No one, Madam President, should cast aspersions on Pakistan's sincerity. After Afghanistan, Pakistan and its people have suffered the most from the 35 years of wars, violence and terrorism in Afghanistan. Pakistan is the primary victim of terrorism.
Our resolve to root out the scourge of terrorism from our territory is clear and visible. We have and continue to target all terrorist groups. We have made substantial progress in cleansing our country of terrorists.
However, these objectives will not be fully accomplished until the sanctuaries and safe havens of those terrorists who have fled our Operation to Afghanistan have been eliminated. We cannot allow targeting of our people by cross border attacks launched from these safe havens.
When Pakistan initiated its counter-terrorism operation in North Waziristan, we called for coordinated action from Kabul to prevent their escape into Afghanistan and resort to cross border attacks from the Afghan territory. This cooperation is still missing. I would like to reiterate our call for such collaboration.
We cannot do diplomacy through statements. We have to resolve our issues through dialogue.
Madam President,
The successful holding of the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process in Islamabad on December 9, 2015, was another manifestation of our commitment to stability and peace in Afghanistan. The Conference provided an opportunity for the Ministers from the region and beyond to agree on a broad-based Islamabad Declaration. We believe, if implemented with sincerity, it would pave the way for a peaceful neighborhood - a foreign policy objective of Pakistan.
The Conference was inaugurated jointly by President Ashraf Ghani and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The two leaders also had a constructive bilateral meeting thereafter, their second in ten days, the first was in Paris on the sidelines of the Climate Change Conference.
A number of Afghanistan-focused bilateral, trilateral and quadrilateral meetings were also held in Islamabad. While recognizing Pakistan’s role and commitment in facilitating peace talks, these meetings helped reaching consensus on:
Peace in Afghanistan was vital for peace in the region and beyond. Focus of international efforts should therefore be on regional and international efforts for peace and stability in the country;
Closer collaboration and coordination between Pakistan and Afghanistan was essential for promoting peace in Afghanistan and for effectively combating terrorism; and
Reconciliation through a politically negotiated settlement was the only viable option for promoting long-term peace in Afghanistan.
Madam President,
The Islamabad Declaration also commits to return of Afghan refugees to their homes with dignity and honour, and international community’s support for their smooth re-settlement. Pakistan is currently considering extension of the Tripartite Agreement, enabling refugees to stay on in the country. But this would be with a clear roadmap to ensure their return with dignity.
Madam President,
Regional connectivity would be the key to economic development of Afghanistan and the region. The ground-breaking ceremony of the TAPI gas pipeline earlier this month, and work on CASA and other similar projects augurs well for this endeavour. TAPI alone, for instance, would create tens of thousands of jobs in Afghanistan. We agree with SRSG Haysom that these are the kind of activities the region should focus its energies on.
Madam President,
For decades, the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan have confronted the common threat of terrorism. Pakistan has made notable gains in its counter-terrorism campaign through its military operations and a comprehensive National Action Plan. We sincerely hope that working together the two countries would, fulfilling the expectations of their people, cooperate closely to defeat all terrorists and establish lasting peace in the region.
I thank you.