UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan warned of a forceful response to any effort to destabilise any part of the country or any attack on its territorial integrity.

Speaking in the UN Security Council during a debate on Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi said, “Let me be clear: we will be relentless in rooting out terrorism, whosoever its sponsors, external or internal. Any effort to destabilise parts of our country or to attack its territorial integrity will be responded to forcefully.”

Terrorism, she said, was a common challenge for Pakistan and Afghanistan, “We are committed to fighting this scourge together and are increasing our military and intelligence cooperation with Kabul,” she told the 15-member council.

Ambassador Lodhi urges international community to continue to stand by Afghanistan

She condemned the recent rise in violence in Afghanistan and the civilian casualties that have been its grim consequence.

Pakistan, she stated, also condemned the atrocious attack on the Afghan parliament. “Nothing”, Ambassador Lodhi said, “justifies the killing of innocent people or, as we saw last week, the destruction of hospitals.”

She reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to play a constructive role in promoting peace and security in Afghanistan.

She said peace and security in Afghanistan could best be achieved through a process of national reconciliation undertaken and led by Afghans themselves. She welcomed what she described as the first, tentative steps taken in recent months to advance the reconciliation process.

“We hope these steps will lead soon to direct talks as well as de-escalation of violence. Pakistan will do everything possible to encourage this process,” she said. “Success however will require reciprocal accommodation and, above all, strategic patience.”

Ambassador Lodhi urged the international community to continue to stand by Afghanistan as it negotiated the multiple challenges on various fronts.

She appreciated the critical role played by UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan in this regard.

Ambassador Lodhi recalled Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Kabul last month in which the two countries agreed to three guiding principles: “Adherence to the policy of non-interference; not allow their respective territories to be used against the other; and Afghanistan’s enemies will be treated as Pakistan’s enemies and vice versa.”

She said the two leaders also discussed ways to expand trade, increase investment, build road and rail links and enhance energy collaboration. “This, we hope, will usher in a new era of peace and development in our region — a win-win for everyone,” she added.

Pakistan, she said, had the highest stake in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan and welcomed the Afghan government’s commitment to the return and reintegration of refugees.

But, she added, Prime Minister Sharif had assured President Ashraf Ghani that Afghan refugees would not be repatriated forcibly.

Ambassador Lodhi said that Pak-Afghan ties transcended boundaries of time and space. “Our destinies are intertwined.” She quoted what Prime Minister Sharif had said in Kabul, “We have stood shoulder to shoulder through every trial and tribulation.”

AP adds: The Afghan ambassador said a new offensive against the Afghan government and people was being compounded by “an unprecedented convergence” of Taliban militants, more than 7,000 foreign fighters, and violent groups including the self-styled Islamic State.

Zahir Tanin told the council that the groups not only targeted Afghan troops and civilians with suicide bombings, improvised explosive devices, hostage-taking and assassinations but they sought control of districts and provinces as bases for their activities in Afghanistan as well as south and central Asia.

Nicholas Haysom, the UN envoy for Afghanistan, said Afghan forces had been stretched, tested, and faced operational challenges since taking on full security responsibilities following an end to the US and Nato combat mission.

Nonetheless, he said, “Afghanistan is meeting its security challenges” in the face of an intensifying conflict across the country. The commitment of Afghan troops “is beyond question”.

Both Tanin and Haysom said the influx of foreign fighters into Afghanistan was a result of the Pakistani military’s campaign in neighbouring North Waziristan which began last year.

“Our estimate is that there are more than 7,000 foreign terrorist fighters” in Afghanistan now, Tanin said, including Chechens, Uzbeks, Tajiks and Pakistanis.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play