UN chief for peaceful settlement of Kashmir dispute

Calling for fully respecting the Untied Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions on Kashmir and human rights in the valley, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, on Monday emphasized the need for peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, the visiting UN chief said that the Security Council's resolutions needed to be respected in any circumstances and there was also a need for fully respecting human rights.

"Every problem that exists in the world must be solved with diplomacy and dialogue. Every situation in which there is conflict deserves de-escalation and the de-escalation of those militarily and verbally. My good offices are available, provided, all parties want to accept that," he said, adding that in all such situations human rights and fundamental freedoms must be fully respected in Kashmir and anywhere else in the world.

The UN chief's offer of playing a role on Kashmir has already been rejected by the Indian side, as in a statement on Sunday the Indian External Affairs Ministry's spokesperson asserted, "The dispute would be discussed bilaterally".

"There is no role or scope for third party mediation," the statement added in response to the UN Secretary General's earlier statement on Sunday in which he offered his good offices for mediation on Kashmir.

Lauding Pakistan's generosity and hospitality for hosting millions of Afghan refugees for the last 40 years, Guterres urged the international community to support Pakistan in the cause of hosting Afghan refugees, adding that Pakistan needed world support in hosting refugees.

"I want to extend my deep gratitude for the generosity and hospitality of Pakistan, which has received for 40 years, millions of Afghan refugees. In a world where so many borders are closed and in a world where so many refugees are rejected or stigmatized, Pakistan has opened its borders," he said, adding that Pakistanis had opened the doors of their homes and their hearts to support Afghan refugees.

Guterres said that Pakistan had provided the world with a global public good, and it was time for the international community to assume its responsibilities and to support Pakistan very meaningfully. "I also pay tribute to the resilience and courage of the Afghan refugees, the displaced Afghans and the Afghans living in difficult conditions in their home countries, and to say that it is time for Afghans to have a chance for peace, and development," he asserted.

"This is an opportunity for peace that we cannot miss it. We don't have the choice to miss this opportunity. No Afghan will forgive us if this opportunity is not seized. It is absolutely essential that all Afghan leaders and all members of international community do everything possible to make peace become a reality," the UN chief added.

Guterres also pointed that he was encouraged by Pakistan's commitment for peace in Afghanistan, adding that once peace was restored, the world should heavily invest for development of this area by providing equal opportunities to the displaced people. According to him, Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process is the only solution to the Afghan conflict.

On the occasion, Foreign Minister Qureshi emphasized the need for collective efforts to defeat the designs of the "spoilers" both internal that is within Afghanistan and the external. "The US has also realized that it cannot just pack bags and leave Afghanistan, like it had done in the past, because it still has a role to play in the region and the war-torn country," he said, adding that the US had to have a plan of withdrawal, and that plan should be supportive of peace and reconciliation.

Qureshi further emphasized that that the role of the international community was also important and their continued support would be required for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan. "We can open a new era of development in this region through joint efforts," he said.

The foreign minister said that Pakistan and Afghanistan depend on each other, adding that the sides needed to engage. About the repatriation of the Afghan refugees, he said that Pakistan wanted a dignified return of the Afghan refugees that would be gradual and time bound, adding that the country was willing to engage with the international community on the refugees' issue.

Qureshi said that refugees were natural ambassadors, who could take advantage of their linkages and could play a positive role in increasing trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan. To a question, he said that the most important role regarding peace in Afghanistan had to be played by Afghan people, and for the purpose, intra-Afghan dialogue was necessary.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Grandi said that the opportunity for peace must be availed and it would be betrayal of the Afghan people if that opportunity was missed.