UNITED NATIONS, Oct 27: Pakistan on Tuesday said that the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) should assist in promoting the peace process between the two countries as well as the protection of human rights in Kashmir.

"As the diplomatic climate in South Asia improves, we feel that the UNMOGIP can play a vital role in promoting confidence building in the region," stressed the Pakistan delegate and Member of National Assembly, Rehman Naseer, while addressing the Special Political and Decolonization Committee of the General Assembly.

While observing that the "traditional concept of peacekeeping was the insertion of a military force between two warring parties in order to create political space to consolidate peace," Mr Naseer noted "as crises themselves have become more complex in recent years, so has United Nations peacekeeping".

"No longer is peacekeeping left to the military or political sphere alone; it increasingly involves a more comprehensive approach embracing the social, economic, judicial and other aspects. Peacekeeping and peace-building are converging as never before," he added.

Saying that "Pakistan is proud to be the largest contributor of troops to United Nations peacekeeping operations", Mr Naseer said, "Our troops have served 30 peacekeeping missions - including some of the most difficult and dangerous ones - like in Cambodia, Somalia, Bosnia, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

"To date 82 of our soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of peace. At present, over 8,000 Pakistani troops are serving under the UN flag in nine peacekeeping missions. By the beginning of 2005, this figure would increase to well over 10,000."