DUSHANBE: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday called upon the regional countries to “resist any drift towards bloc politics” and pursue the approach of peaceful coexistence, as he stressed the “rare opportunity to finally end the 40 years of war in Afghanistan” should not be wasted.
“Peaceful coexistence and cooperation – not confrontation, should be the main drivers of global politics,” he said in his address at the 20th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting, held in the capital of Tajikistan.
The summit gathered the Presidents of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Iran, the leaders of observer states, foreign ministers, and the heads of international and regional organisations.
Vladimir Norov, SCO Secretary General and Jumakhon Giyasov, Director Executive Committee of SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure were also present.
The Prime Minister said addressing the threats to international and regional peace and security was a vital interest for the SCO. He said the fight against terror would not be won if such threats and challenges were ignored, with state-terrorism being the biggest one, perpetrated against people living under foreign occupation in disputed territories.
“In some cases, such extremist and bigoted ideologies have ascended to capture the state power in so-called democracies,” he said. Khan said Pakistan believed faithfully implementing UN Security Council resolutions for the peaceful settlement of outstanding disputes was a necessary condition for peace, and is indispensable for creating an environment of cooperation.
The Prime Minister said “associating one religion with terrorism has enabled far-right, populist and supremacist groups around the world to propagate, multiply and accumulate influence.”
“For decades Pakistan has suffered from terrorism that was planned, supported, financed and orchestrated by state entities from across our border.” Outside the active zones of conflict, no other country has suffered more than Pakistan, Khan said.
“We have suffered over 80,000 casualties and economic losses in excess of US $150 billion,” the Prime Minister said. “Yet, our resolve remains strong. We will continue to be a reliable and willing partner of the international community in the fight against terrorism and extremism,” Khan told the top gathering of the regional countries.
The Prime Minister said unilateral and illegal measures to change the status of disputed territories in violation of Security Council resolutions run counter to this objective. Such measures, he said, must be condemned and opposed firmly for being in violation of the SCO Charter and its well-established principles of inter-state relations.
Khan said Afghanistan is, rightfully, the focus of attention in view of the recent developments. He said the sudden change of the previous government which surprised everyone; the takeover by the Taliban, and the full withdrawal of foreign forces, has established a new reality in Afghanistan. He said it was a matter of relief that all this happened without bloodshed, without civil war, and without mass exodus of refugees.
“It is now in the international community’s collective interest to ensure that there is no renewed conflict in Afghanistan and the security situation is stabilised.”
Prime Minister Khan, stressing equally urgent priorities to prevent a humanitarian crisis and an economic meltdown in Afghanistan, said: “We must remember that the previous government depended heavily on foreign aid and its removal could lead to economic collapse,” adding: “This is a moment to stand by the Afghan people, firmly and unequivocally.”
Khan commended the UN Secretary-General and UN agencies for leading from the front in mobilising international support for the immediately needed humanitarian assistance. He said apart from helping in the international evacuation efforts, Pakistan has extended all possible support in the provision and facilitation of humanitarian relief. “We believe positive engagement of the international community with Afghanistan is extremely important … There is a rare opportunity to finally end the 40 years of war in Afghanistan; this moment should not be squandered,” Khan stressed.
He said it would be unwise at this critical juncture to spread negativity, or indulge in mischievous propaganda, as some spoilers have sought to do, and pointed that it would only serve to undermine the prospects for peace, to the detriment of the Afghan people.
He said the Taliban, on their part, must fulfill the pledges made above all for an inclusive political structure where all ethnic groups are represented. This, he pointed, was vital for Afghanistan’s stability and also important to ensure respect for the rights of all Afghans, and ensure that Afghanistan is never again a safe haven for terrorists.
As a country that has continuously suffered from the spill-over of conflict and instability in Afghanistan, and borne the burden of nearly four million refugees for 40 years, Pakistan has an abiding interest in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.
Khan said the history of Afghanistan bears witness to the fact that the country values its sovereignty and cannot be controlled from the outside. “We will continue to support a stable, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan”, he added.
On the Covid-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister said the pandemic afflicted the world in unprecedented ways and said in sheer human suffering, the cost just cannot be calculated. He said the poor were hit the hardest everywhere – whether living in the impoverished South or the affluent North and for the first time in 20 years, the world saw a rise in absolute poverty.
Khan shared with the regional leaders how Pakistan adopted a calibrated strategy of ‘smart lockdowns’ – with simultaneous focus on saving lives, securing livelihoods, and stimulating the economy, and described it as “a very difficult road to navigate.” He said Pakistan’s social protection program Ehsaas (compassion) helped millions of families to survive.
He described the advent of the Covid-19 vaccine in a relatively short time as a miracle of science. He, however, said the attempts to politicise the question of virus origin should be avoided as it was divisive at a time when the world needed to unite. He urged that the vaccine be made available to everyone on equal basis, and as a global public good.
Talking about the climate change, the Prime Minister Imran Khan termed it yet another existential threat that the planet earth faces. He said Pakistan’s contribution to global emissions was negligible, yet it was among the 10 most vulnerable countries and, therefore, addressing the issue was a key priority of his government. “We have taken a number of flagship initiatives to mitigate its adverse impacts, including the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami project.
“Our initiatives for ‘Clean and Green Pakistan’ not only aim to protect nature and restore eco-systems but also expand eco-tourism and create thousands of new jobs for our youth. We are also committed to shifting our energy mix towards a clean and low carbon trajectory and are targeting 60 per cent of our energy to be clean by 2030”, he added.
Over regional connectivity, the Prime Minister said sustainable peace and stability in Afghanistan would also help realise Pakistan’s vision of an inter-connected, prosperous and economically vibrant region. He said Pakistan has shifted its focus from geo-politics to geo-economics. He was optimistic that the web of rail, road, sea and air links across the SCO region would usher in a new era of enhanced trade, energy flows, and people-to-people exchanges. These trans-regional linkages will be reinforced by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of BRI, which, he added, was making steady progress.
The Prime Minister also proposed a five-point way forward on the SCO: One, “We must reaffirm our complete support for effective multilateralism and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including equality and sovereignty of states, respect for territorial integrity, non-aggression, non-use or threat of force, and peoples’ right for self-determination.
Two, “We must strengthen our collective endeavors to mitigate the adverse economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, including through the SCO Joint Advisory measures.
Three, “We must chart out a coordinated SCO approach towards stabilising the situation in Afghanistan — including through enhanced engagement to address our common concerns and safeguard our shared interests, steps to provide humanitarian support and ensure economic stability, and measures to enable Afghanistan to become a reliable partner in peace and prosperity. Four, “We must advance the agenda of regional connectivity.
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