UNITED NATIONS, Oct 2: Pakistan on Tuesday rejected what it called toleration of Islamophobia “in the guise of freedom of expression,” saying “we need understanding, harmony and building of bridges among all cultures and peoples.”

Addressing the UN General Assembly, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammed Khan said: “At the heart of this growing malaise is not a clash of values or civilisations, it is the failure of the international community to address festering disputes and our collective inability to universalise opportunities and benefits offered by the phenomenal advances of technology and globalisation for the betterment of all peoples.

“Equally disturbing are trends to malign other cultures and faiths and reinforce divisions, especially between the West and the Islamic world,” he added.

Noting that the conflict and violence in the Middle East was fundamentally linked to the Palestinian issue that had agitated two generations of Palestinians and Muslims around the world, Mr Khan said: “The world has a historical responsibility to end the tragedy of the Palestinian people by enabling them to establish their own state in Palestine consistent with the Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 and the Arab Peace Plan.”

On the issue of Iranian nuclear programme, he said: “Pakistan is also disturbed by the ominous confrontation over Iran’s nuclear issue. We have insisted on recourse to diplomacy because resort to use of force could lead to incalculable consequences for this already inflamed and highly sensitive region.”

“Conflicts continue in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. In South Asia, the Kashmir dispute is yet to be resolved. Old disputes are compounded by new confrontations. Also, serious challenges are emerging in the shape of climate change, energy security, financial and trade imbalances,” he pointed out.

On the rise of terrorism and extremism in South Asia, Mr Riaz Mohammed Khan said: “We are fighting Al Qaeda and other terrorist elements with resolve and determination.”

On the issue of the expansion of the Security Council, he said: “The Security Council reform must enlarge the representation of all member states rather than expand the circle of the privileged.”