ISLAMABAD: President-elect of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Volkan Bozkir Monday underscored that resolution of Jammu and Kashmir was key to sustainable peace in South Asia and expressed his readiness to play a role within his mandate "if it is requested by the parties."
The President-elect of the UNGA was speaking at a joint news conference along with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi after holding talks during his two-day visit to the country.
During a meeting at the PM House, Prime Minister Imran Khan stressed that the UN must play its rightful role in addressing the grave situation and ensuring that Kashmiris exercise their right to self-determination promised to them in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
According to media office of the PM House, the prime minister apprised the PGA-elect of the serious situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), an issue that was on agenda of the UN Security Council for over seven decades.
The prime minister highlighted the dire human rights and humanitarian situation in the IIOJK since 5th August 2019, as well as the ongoing gross and systematic violations of human rights of the Kashmiri people and the attempts to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory.
The prime minister apprised the visiting dignitary of his government's initiatives to mitigate and suppress the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, focused on saving lives, securing livelihoods, and stimulating the economy.
He informed that his government deployed an $8 billion stimulus package for the poor and the needy.
This was the highest social security coverage by any government in the history of Pakistan, the prime minister added.
He further highlighted his call for "Global Initiative on Debt Relief", and stressed the need to provide greater fiscal space to the developing countries to overcome deleterious socio-economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
The prime minister also highlighted the high importance he attached to addressing climate change, countering Islamophobia, and combating illicit financial flows from developing countries.
He expressed the hope that the 75th Session of the UNGA would accord priority to these issues, which affected billions around the world.
The prime minister extended warm felicitations to Bozkir on his election as the president of the historic 75th Session of the UN General Assembly.
Later speaking at a news conference along with Foreign Minister Qureshi, Volkan Bozkir said, though a president of the UNGA impartially represents the UN's membership as a whole, the position of the UN on the issue of Kashmir was governed by its charter and applicable Security Council's resolutions.
"Resolving the dispute over Jammu and Kashmir is key to the sustainable peace in South Asia and the regional security should be maintained through political and diplomatic solutions. Difficult challenges can be resolved peacefully and satisfactorily through a meaningful mutual engagement," he asserted.
He pointed out that there was also the 1972 Simla agreement between Pakistan and India, "which states that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir is to be settled by peaceful means in accordance with the charter of the UN".
He said that during his talks with Prime Minister Khan and Foreign Minister Qureshi, the two presented their position and approach to Kashmir issue.
"If my assistance, as president of the UNGA, is requested by the parties, I would be ready to provide contribution within my mandate," he added.
However, he also stated that Turkey's position on the issue of Kashmir was well known and expressed by the Turkish government at every level.
He said that Pakistan was a key country at the UN, which made extensive and substantial contributions to the world body's work including the peace operations.
"From the Untied Nations' perspective this visit was necessary as well. I am looking forward to close cooperation with Pakistan in my term as the president of the Untied Nations General Assembly," he added.
He said that he had chosen a distinguished Pakistani diplomat ambassador Farooq Khan as his deputy chief of cabinet.
"I am also looking forward to a fruitful and close cooperation with Pakistan's permanent representative in New York Ambassador Munir Akram who is current the president of the UN Economic and Social Council," he said.
He said that Pakistan an active member of the Group of 77, Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) "where everybody looks what Pakistan is proposing or doing in order to move [on issues] in these groups".
Referring to his meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said "Imran Khan is a well-known political figure in the world who has a vision for the region and the world peace and security as well as also other important issues faced by the world including climate change and problems of least developed, landlocked countries, Asian countries and African countries".
He stressed the UN role must also be more towards the countries that were in need, adding that it was also important to increase the credibility of the world body during this one year.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the UN foundation, which constitutes a historic occasion to reaffirm our collective commitment to multilateralism, adding that without multilateralism we cannot have the United Nations or any international fora.
So, first thing to do is to give a chance to multilateralism at the General Assembly platform and to give a chance to countries to present their voice at the world platform, he added.
Bozkir said the world was currently faced with many challenges including humanitarian and deadly conflicts, adding that the unprecedented health challenge of the COVID-19 was a threat with social political and economic consequences.
He also appreciated Pakistan's strategy to deal with the pandemic, saying that Pakistan had been a good example for the world, which handled the pandemic-related policies very well.
"The [Covid-19] figures shows Pakistan has done very well than many other countries and I'm happy to observe this here through my own eyes," he said, adding that the pandemic had proved that coming problems required common responses, and in the collective response to the pandemic we must focus on special needs of the most vulnerable segments.
He said that it was necessary that the UN should also start functioning now, adding: "the two to fours months period of pandemic was a blow to the credibility of the UN, while people needed the UN, and the United Nations "stayed at home" with virtual meetings and [making] decisions without voting."
"I think we must bring the UN back to life ... with participation of civil society, stakeholders, specialists, leaders from countries so that world must believe that the UN is alive. Otherwise, if it goes on like this, we can really start losing the United Nations...we don't have the luxuries to have this kind of situations," he added.
Foreign Minister Qureshi said that he and the prime minister conveyed the sentiments of the people of Pakistan to the UNGA president-elect, adding Pakistan desired that the discussion on the dispute was also held in the UNGA as it was the pulse of the world that highlighted the views of the comity of nations.
He said that the UNSC had deliberated three times in one year on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, "which is unprecedented".
But the General Assembly is the parliament of the world and its role is very important, he said.
"If you need and if you desire for sustainable peace in this region, then the issue of Jammu and Kashmir has to be addressed. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are not only disturbed, but also very concerned about the demographic change, taking place there," he added.
To a question, Qureshi said that the political map, which was issued recently, reflects the aspiration of the people of Pakistan and also reiterated Pakistan's position on Junagarh.
"Through this map we have incorporated in this map the will of the people by saying where Pakistan stands on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, which is our position vis-à-vis Siachen, our position vis-à-vis Sir Creek and our position on Junagarh is amply clear, we look at the principles of partition and the accession of Junagarh, where it should have belonged," he added.
Responding to another query, Qureshi said that he had shared his recommendations that Prime Minister Khan should participate in the upcoming UNGA session, which was a historic session.
The most important priority at the UNGA, he added, would be the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, "which is on the agenda of the UN and it cannot and should not be overlooked".
He said that the issue of "debt relief" to the developing countries was also important, adding that the issue of climate change, the illicit financial flows, how loot and plunder of money through corruption in the third world had impoverished the people, were also equally important to be highlighted.
He said that Islamophobia was another challenge, adding the OIC countries must come up with a united approach, as the extremist and fascist ideologies such as the RSS was threatening peace of the world.
About the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), he said Pakistan had given freedom to the UN observers and they shared their reports.
While on the other side, he said, India had obstructed to the working of the UN observers. He called upon the UN to play a role in that regard.
He said that the number of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) had been very high last year, and this year, India had committed 1,845 ceasefire violations so far, targeting innocent civilians.
Qureshi said he also briefed the president-elect of the UNGA about Pakistan's role in pushing forward the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan, the challenges that lie ahead and the recent positive developments.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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