Daily Times

Pakistan has underscored the need for distinguishing terrorism from the pursuit of peoples’ legitimate right for self-determination, and called for resolving prolonged conflicts, ending foreign occupation to address conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism.

“There is a continued campaign to portray struggles for self-determination and national liberation as terrorism, in order to justify the oppression of peoples under foreign occupation,” Ambassador Aamir Khan, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the UN General Assembly. Speaking during the 8th review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (GCTS), the Pakistani envoy said it was essential to clearly define terrorism and distinguish it from legitimate struggles for national liberation and self-determination. Ambassador Aamir Khan said Pakistan has been at the forefront of the fight against terrorism and has rendered innumerable sacrifices of more than 80,000 lives.

“Spoilers in our neighborhood continue to target us, including through support for attacks planned and orchestrated by the TTP, Da’esh as well as Baloch militant groups,” the Pakistani envoy said. Pakistan, he added, possessed the capability and will utilize all means to defeat this externally-sponsored terrorism. The United Nations, particularly the Security Council, must address situations of prolonged, unresolved conflicts and foreign occupation.

Pakistan, along with OIC, made various proposals, including the condemnation of the acts by racist, fascist, and extremist right-wing elements to incite violence and terrorism against Muslims through the deliberate desecration of mosques and the burning of the Holy Quran, he said, adding that these were not included in the GCTS text. “Failure to condemn acts of incitement and hatred sends a clear message that terrorism against Muslims will be tolerated,” Aamir Khan added. Pakistan is also deeply disappointed over the failure to recognize the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, which was established through a consensus General Assembly resolution.

“Denying inclusion of this reference – another OIC proposal – while accommodating individual member states to reflect events the content of which was neither agreed upon by all member states nor supported, is a classic example of this discriminatory and biased approach.

“This signifies the perpetuation of a perception that stigmatizes Muslims,” he added. “We firmly reject this stigmatization and will continue its efforts to challenge this flawed perspective.”

Pakistan, he said, has been and will continue to call for necessary changes in the global counter-terrorism architecture and the UN Security Council sanctions regime to end the stigmatization of followers of certain religions as well as to broaden the scope of such measures against new and emerging threats, including on the basis racism, xenophobia, intolerance, Islamophobia or other forms of intolerance. At the same time, he said, the Security Council’s sanctions regimes are often blunt instruments and contribute little to containing, much less reversing, the terrorist threat.

“We must also address the new tools of terrorism, especially in the cyber domain- crypto-currencies, online terrorist recruitment and incitement to violence and disinformation,” the Pakistani envoy added.