Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar sought the United Nations’ support for counter-terrorism efforts in Pakistan during a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Tuesday.
The meeting comes a day after Dar addressed a high-level UN Security Council debate calling for a unified, non-discriminatory approach to combat terrorism and rejecting “double standards” in dealing with extremist threats.
According to today’s statement by the Foreign Office, Dar highlighted “cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan” and called for support against “terrorism within and from Afghanistan.”
He reiterated Pakistan’s desire to provide humanitarian support to the millions of impoverished Afghans and to promote its economic development, including implementing connectivity projects between Central Asia and Pakistan through Afghanistan.
Islamabad has consistently voiced concerns that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) uses Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan, asking the Afghanistan government to rein in the group. Kabul denies the allegations.
A UN report on Saturday revealed that the Afghan Taliban’s continued support for the banned TTP, despite Islamabad’s increasing pressure to cease backing the outfit, was fuelling the group’s escalating attacks in Pakistan.
Earlier, Dar underscored that terrorism remained a significant impediment to strengthening ties with Afghanistan, stating, “Terrorism is a major irritant in our relationship [with Kabul]”.
Guterres appreciated Pakistan’s role towards the maintenance of international peace and security in the form of its UN Peacekeeping contributions, state media Radio Pakistan reported.
Dar reaffirmed strong support for the UN’s role in addressing global challenges, including peace and security, development and climate change. He also underscored Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to promoting international peace, and security as a non-permanent member of the UNSC.
The minister welcomed the UN Secretary General’s initiative to organise the Summit of the Future, expressing the hope that the Pact for the Future will be fully implemented, fulfilling the financing needs of the developing countries to implement the SDGs and climate goals.
Dar also called for a resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute under Security Council resolutions.
While condemning Israel’s assault against the Palestinians, he reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering support for a two-state solution.
