Peace will stay elusive without resolution of Kashmir dispute: minister

Iqbal stresses need for int’l action plan to combat Islamophobia and hate

NEW YORK:

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday said that durable peace between Pakistan and India would continue to be elusive unless the dispute over Jammu and Kashmir was resolved in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Addressing a press conference at the United Nations, the minister expressed grave concern over the plight of the people under foreign occupation in Jammu and Kashmir, who have been suffering brutal oppression, extrajudicial killings, human rights violations, extended curfews, lockdowns, arbitrary detention, and illegal demographic displacement.

He said that after the illegal and unilateral measures of August 5, 2019, to snatch Jammu and Kashmir’s identity, the Indian authorities have been mounting a massive campaign of repression against the people.

He also said that these measures were an attempt to change the demography of the Muslim-majority state to transform it into a Hindu-majority territory by eliminating the indigenous Muslim population and settling down Hindus from across India in the area.

This move created barriers to a just resolution of the Kashmir dispute, Iqbal said, adding that if the tension created by India’s cruel policies in occupied Kashmir were left unattended, it could lead to another conflict in the region with potentially catastrophic consequences.

He also stressed the international community for evolving an emergency action plan and mobilising financial resources to ramp up food production, keep supply chains open, assist poor farmers and build food banks for developing countries.

The minister said that in order to overcome poverty and hunger, there was a need to address the complex structure and systemic issues impeding food production through the development of developing countries.

Being the President of G-77 countries, he added that Pakistan had proposed to the UN to lead an international effort to provide support to the developing countries to mitigate the effects of the supply chain shocks.

Iqbal, who is currently visiting the United States to attend the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) session at the UN, said that this was a component of the global effort to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This global effort, he said, had suffered a serious setback due to Covid-19, climate change, and conflicts in the last few years.

He also said that Pakistan was playing an active role to evolve collective action and response for promoting collective economic interests of the developing countries. “We truly believe that just as SDGs set out as a goal that no one should be left behind in any society, no country should be left behind in the world society.”

The minister said that today the world was passing through a major economic crisis and facing record inflation. “Supply chains are disrupted after Ukraine and Russia war creating enormous economic and political challenges for developing countries and particularly for those which are vulnerable,” he said.

He also called for collective action within every country and at a global level to face this challenge and crisis to minimise the cost of economic default or political crisis as in the case of Sri Lanka.

“We do not want Sri Lanka-like situation to erupt in another developing country. This requires the international community to work together in the spirit of multilateralism,” he added.

He also drew the world’s attention toward the challenge of global food security, saying that the issue had been growing progressively in developing countries due to low productivity, water scarcity, land degradation, lack of agriculture infrastructure, inadequate application of new technologies, and unfair trade practices in climate change.

Iqbal said that Pakistan was facing challenges in food security, water security and energy security because of issues ranging from climate change and global development.

“Largely due to climate change and insufficient investment in agriculture, Pakistan’s food security situation has become fragile. We will have to import wheat this year whereas the supply chain of wheat at the global level is already disrupted,” he added.

On the issue of Afghanistan, the minister pointed out that for the first time in 40 years, there was an opportunity to stabilise Afghanistan as the entire country was under the control of one government.

He said Pakistan was a neighboring country and if there was instability in Afghanistan, it would be the first country to pay the price. Like others Pakistan was also disappointed that the Afghan government had not been responsive on issues of concern, especially to the issues of girls’ education and recent restrictions on women, he added.

“We believe that it is necessary to continue to engage with the Afghan government and persuade them to revise their decisions,” he further said.

Iqbal said that Pakistan was deeply concerned about the continuation of the war in Ukraine. “Pakistan has always called for consistent and universal application of UN chartered principles, including the threat of use of force, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, pacific settlement of disputes and security for all states in order to ensure lasting peace and security. Pakistan called for early negotiation to end the Ukraine conflict.”

With respect to Pakistan’s efforts in mitigating climate change effects, the minister said that although Pakistan was among the least carbon emulator, it was one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and global warming.

“We are making our contribution to mitigating emissions mainly through nature-based solutions such as reforestation and adaptation of cleaner energy,” he said, adding that recently the government had started a major initiative with solar energy and renewable energy in the country.

He called for international investments in Pakistan’s major climate adaptation projects to end pollution in cities, rivers and lakes. “Pakistan’s ambitious environment programme deserves generous international support,” he remarked.

Speaking on the issue of Islamophobia, Iqbal said that Pakistan welcomed the UN General Assembly’s recognition of this challenge by deciding to observe 15th March each year as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. “We need an international action plan to combat Islamophobia and other forms of intolerance and hate,” he said.