Daily Times

President of United Nations General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa Friday, while reiterating the world body’s mandate for international peace and security, said it was the responsibility of each member state to respect and guarantee fundamental rights and dignity of people.

“All UN member states in every corner of the planet should conform to the three pillars of the UN Charter: security, development and human rights,” the UNGA president said when her attention was drawn to the human rights situation in Indian-held Kashmir which was negating the very spirit of UN resolutions.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi here at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Fernanda said though the resolution pertained to the UN Security Council, however as UNGA president, it was her role to ensure the implementation of UN’s mandate and general recommendations for international peace and security.

The UNGA president, who arrived in Islamabad on Friday on a five-day visit, lauded Pakistan for supporting the Afghanistan peace process and said the country’s generosity for hosting millions of Afghan refugees for four decades deserved ‘great acknowledgement’. She said the refugee problem was much connected with the peace process in Afghanistan and stressed that a prosperous and peaceful Afghanistan would benefit Pakistan and the entire region. She said Pakistan’s role in rehabilitation of Afghan refugees was relevant with the UN’s Global Compact of Migration or Refugees that gave a roadmap for fostering cooperation and burden-sharing among countries of origin, transit and destination, particularly for refugees.

UNGA president hails new government’s commitment to provide 10 million new jobs, put women rights at forefront and implement Agenda 2020 of Sustainable Development Goals

With Ecuador as her country of origin that faced huge number of refugees from Columbia, the UNGA president said she had great realization about the issue of refugees which required immense resources and said Pakistan’s generosity in this regard was commendable. The UNGA president said Pakistan was among the list of 10 countries that were vulnerable to climate change in the shape of floods and droughts, and required serious steps ahead. She lauded Pakistan for its recently launched project of planting one billion trees in the country and said that the step speaks well of the commitment of this government to environmental protection and combating the terrible effects of climate change.

She also appreciated the new government’s commitment in terms of providing 10 million new jobs, putting women rights at forefront, implementing Agenda 2020 of the Sustainable Development Goals, multilateralism and revitalization of the UN’s goals. To a question why the UN Security Council reforms had not been finalized even after 25 years, she said the inter-governmental negotiations are a member-driven process, with its pace and content much dependent on the decision and political will of 193 member states.

Foreign Minister Qureshi said the talks with UNGA president particularly encompassed the human rights violations in Held Kashmir, ceasefire violations at Line of Control by India, UN reforms agenda, Afghan refugees, Pakistan’s role in UN peacekeeping and climate change.

Islamabad calls for early establishment of Commission of Inquiry to investigate human rights violations in IHK

To a question on the demand of Kashmiris for plebiscite, he said Pakistan wanted the United Nations to play an effective role in implementation of the UNSC resolutions with regard to Jammu and Kashmir, where 90,000 people had lost their lives.

He termed Kashmir as a flashpoint that needed immediate international attention and mentioned an important recommendation of the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) calling for establishment of a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the human rights violations in IHK.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Qureshi and UNGA President Maria Fernanda Espinosa held a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which was joined by Pakistan’s Permanent Ambassador to the UN Dr Maleeha Lodhi and other senior diplomats.

Later, the UNGA president called on Prime Minister Imran Khan at the PM Office. The prime minister commended the UNGA president for her leadership and efforts aimed at empowering the disadvantaged and marginalized people, noting that these priorities were in tune with his government’s people-centric agenda. He also briefed the visiting dignitary on government’s plans for creation of jobs for young Pakistanis, launching of a massive poverty alleviation programme, five million housing units and billion tree tsunami.

The prime minister drew the attention of the president to the massive human rights violations in Indian Held Kashmir, that have also been documented in the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights report of June 2018. He called early establishment of a Commission of Inquiry to investigate these abuses, as recommended by the UN. Referring to blasphemous caricatures, the prime minister conveyed the deep anguish of the people of Pakistan on such attempts to hurt the feelings of billions of Muslims. He urged the UNGA president to play her role in dissuading elements that carried out such hurtful acts. The importance of building harmony and inter-religious understanding and dialogue was also underlined.

Published in Daily Times, January 19^th 2019.