AsiaNet-Pakistan Premier Editorial Content and Press Release Distribution Service
Goa, May 05, 2023 (PPI-OT):Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday, without naming India, warned the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states against “weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring” as India raises terrorism issue.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, prior to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s speech, said the menace of terrorism continues unabated, adding that taking eyes of this menace is detrimental to the security interests of all.
“The collective security of our peoples is our joint responsibility. Terrorism continues to threaten global security. Let’s not get caught up in weaponizing terrorism for diplomatic point scoring,” Bilawal Bhutto said while addressing the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) summit in Goa.
He said, “When I speak on this topic [terrorism], I do so not only as the foreign minister of Pakistan whose people have suffered the most in terms of number of attacks and number of casualties. I also speak as the son whose mother was assassinated at the hands of terrorists.”
“I feel the pain of this loss and empathize with victims across the world. I and my country are firmly committed to be part of regional and global efforts for eradicating this menace,” he said.
The foreign minister, who is leading the Pakistani delegation which arrived in Goa on Thursday to attend the two-day meeting of the SCO CFM, emphasised that the idea of eradicating this menace requires not only a “comprehensive approach but also a collective approach”. He said that the root causes need to be addressed as well as the threats posed by specific groups.
“It requires that we let this challenge unite us to fight it rather than divide us to become its victim. Our success requires us to isolate this issue from geo-political partisanship,” he maintained, adding that practical, pragmatic solutions exist for us to put an end to this chapter once and for all. “We must stop conflating non-state actors with state actors. Condemn all forms of terrorism including state-sponsored terrorism,” he stressed.
The Foreign Minister in an apparent reference to India’s unilateral illegal actions of 05 August 2019 said that unilateral and illegal measures by States in violation of international law and Security Council resolutions run counter to the SCO objectives. “We need to be unambiguous in keeping our commitments and charting out a new future for our people. One that is not based on conflict preservation but on conflict resolution,” he said.
Without mentioning the rising Islamophobia in India, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said, we must also resolutely resist the temptation to stoke prejudice and discrimination to derive our identity. “It is imperative that willful provocations and incitement to hate, especially on religious grounds, are roundly condemned. It is our collective duty to fight against fascism and historical revisionism that is leading to violent ultra-nationalism anywhere in the world. We must ensure that racism and xenophobic ideologies have no place in today’s world and fundamental human rights and freedoms are guaranteed to all,” he added.
Highlighting the importance of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, Bilawal Bhutoo Zardari said it is not only crucial for regional integration and economic cooperation, but also for global peace and stability.
“When great powers play the role of peacemaker, we can unlock the potential of peace while paving the way for greater cooperation, regional integration and economic opportunities for our peoples,” he said.
The foreign minister said that the situation in Afghanistan presents new challenges as well as opportunities. “We continue to call the international community to meaningfully engage with the interim Afghan government to better understand and influence the course of events. After being the playground for great powers, time and time again, we owe it to the people of Afghanistan to not repeat the mistakes of the past.
“A united international community must continue to urge the Afghan authorities to adopt universally-accepted principles of political inclusivity, and respecting the rights of all Afghans, including girls’ right to education.”
‘Peaceful and stable Afghanistan important’
Bilawal went on to say that the international community should also help build their counter-terrorism capacity for the security of Afghanistan, the region and the world at large. “It is alarming that terrorist groups within Afghanistan are cooperating amongst themselves more than we are as the international community,” he lamented, adding that as the country that will be the first but not the last to suffer the consequences, Pakistan calls on the interim Afghan authorities to uphold their commitments on not allowing the use of Afghan soil for terrorism.
“A peaceful and stable Afghanistan is a key not only to regional integration and economic cooperation but also to global peace and stability. We believe the SCO Afghanistan Contact Group can play a role in coordinating practical cooperation with Afghanistan,” he said.
Mentioning China’s “commendable” role in bridging differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran – two countries that are also associated with the SCO, the minister said, “When great powers play role of peacemaker, we can unlock potential of peace while paving way for greater cooperation, regional integration and economic opportunities for our peoples.”
Reiterating Pakistan’s strong commitment to SCO, the foreign minister said, “There couldn’t be a more powerful indication of the importance that Pakistan attaches to the SCO than my presence here in Goa for this CFM.”
He underscored the importance that Pakistan accords to the principles of mutual trust and shared development as enshrined in the “Shanghai Spirit”. Pakistan, he said, strongly believes in and fully adheres to principles of mutual trust and shared development enshrined in the original “Shanghai Spirit”.
Commenting on the organisation’s role in enhancing regional connectivity, the top Pakistani diplomat said, “SCO could be a key platform for taking the vision of Eurasian connectivity to the next level.”
Further sharing his vision for poverty alleviation in the region, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari highlighted that there is a very strong and compelling case for closer cooperation for poverty alleviation under SCO. “The establishment of the Special Working Group on Poverty Alleviation proposed by Pakistan will be a step in that direction,” he said.
Emphasizing on the SCO’s role as an intergovernmental organisation, he spoke about how the entity has emerged as a platform for promoting mutual understanding, security and development through constructive and mutually beneficial cooperation.
Shedding light on the significance of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the region, he said that the project can be a force multiplier for regional connectivity. “For too long, we have lamented the lack of connectivity between our economies – an impediment to regional trade and investment,” he said.
The foreign minister maintained that CPEC does not only connect Pakistan to its neighbour China but also offers all countries invested in the commonality of the future of this region to take the journey further and connect the dots towards full regional economic integration.
Pakistan remains ‘committed to multilateralism’
Given Pakistan’s fight with climate change as one of the worst-affected nations in the world, the foreign minister informed the fellow participants present at the summit about the country’s role in pushing for global discourse on climate change. “Pakistan has emerged as an important voice in the global discourse on climate change in the aftermath of that natural calamity,” he said.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to multilateralism for maintaining international peace and harmony. “Pakistan remains committed to multilateralism and continues to play a leading role at all international forums,” he reiterated.
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