Foreign Secretary, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said Pakistan stood with the international community in dealing effectively with issues of kidnapping for ransom, and the threat posed by the foreign terrorist fighters. He was speaking at the Fifth Ministerial Meeting of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF) in New York to project Pakistan's Perspective on the sidelines of the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
He highlighted the efforts of the government of Pakistan in dealing with the scourge of terrorism as well as the numerous sacrifices rendered by the people of Pakistan and its law enforcement agencies in this struggle. He underscored the need for developing persuasive logic in response to radical narratives; creation of conditions that offer economic opportunities to the youth; and addressing political grievances and long festering disputes, including their root causes in order to adopt a comprehensive approach towards dealing with terrorism.
He projected Pakistan's perspective on issues pertaining to counter terrorism in his speech during the Fifth ministerial meeting of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF) held on 23rd September. The meeting was co-chaired by the US Secretary of State and the Foreign Minister of Turkey, and was attended by several Ministers and high-level officials of the GCTF member states.
GCTF was established in 2011 as a platform to identify civilian counter-terrorism needs, mobilise necessary expertise and resources to build state capacities identify and share best practices in the realm of countering terrorism; and generate political will and understanding on counter-terrorism issues. Pakistan is one of the 30 founding members of the Forum.
Chaudhry expressed Pakistan's support for the work of GCTF especially in the field of countering violent extremism and the criminal justice and rule of law sector. The GCTF meeting adopted several documents containing best practices and recommendations on issues such as countering violent extremism, rule of law based approach towards countering terrorism, kidnapping for ransom and countering the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters.
Meanwhile the Foreign Secretary outlined the significance of Pakistan's geo-strategic location for promoting Regional Connectivity in an event to discuss opportunities and challenges in expanding economic connectivity in Greater Central Asia, organized by the Asia Society, New York. Highlighting Pakistan's significance for regional connectivity, the Foreign Secretary stated that Pakistan could serve as regional pivot for greater connectivity. He underscored Pakistan's leadership's vision to make Pakistan a hub for intra regional trade and economic activities. In this context, he emphasised the importance of Pakistan-China Economic Corridor.
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