WASHINGTON, June 23: Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, Dr Maleeha Lodhi, has called on the international community to play “peacemaker, not just crisis manager.”

Dr Lodhi, speaking at a forum of the Women’s Foreign Policy Group on the ‘Challenges Facing the US-Pakistan Relations’, noted that the United States and the international community had a central role to play in South Asia as the “minimalist approach of crisis management in South Asia has proven to be inadequate” for promoting peace and security in the region.

She said that though the threat of war had subsided, military tensions had not abated, as there continued to be the largest, unprecedented concentration of the Indian troops on Pakistan’s borders.

She, at the forum which was also addressed by former US ambassador to Pakistan Wendy Chamberlain, also discussed the Pakistan-US ties and its future outlook; shared her perspectives on the current India-Pakistan crisis; and talked about the international role in promoting peace.

Dr Lodhi stressed that Pakistan did not want a “dependent relationship” (as happened in the cold war) with the US, but a partnership for mutual benefit,”and one in which trade and investment are more important than aid.”

The envoy stated that Pakistan knew that its participation in the global coalition entailed “significant risks”, but assured the international community of Pakistan’s “resolve to continue this counter-terrorism cooperation in full measure.”

Lodhi noted that while President Musharraf had clearly reaffirmed the commitments that no one would be allowed to use Pakistan’s territory for terrorism anywhere, India was seeking to exploit the post-September environment to portray Kashmir as just an issue of terrorism. Underscoring the importance of international facilitation in defusing the current standoff in South Asia, the envoy stressed that intervention of the US and other major powers had made clear to India that war could not be used as an instrument of policy.

The envoy pointed out that the steps taken by Pakistan to defuse tensions had created a momentum that must be maintained through the reciprocal steps by India. Pakistan had throughout acted with restraint and responsibility in the face of India’s brinkmanship, and the recent steps India had taken to ease the situation did not go far enough, she added.

Dr Lodhi maintained that there must be immediate military de-escalation, re-deployment of troops from forward positions to peacetime locations, and resumption of dialogue.

Dr Lodhi also offered some suggestions as to how the international community could assist in promoting long-term security and development in South Asia.—APP