President Asif Ali
Zardari Speech to United Nations :
I am honoured to return to this Chamber of
hope, peace and cooperation.
I wish to convey to you the warm greetings of
the people of Pakistan.
We are delighted to see you, Mr. President,
presiding over the General Assembly.
Mr. President,
High ideals of the United Nations have
inspired our vision of the global society. A global society that is
based on: Peace and justice; Freedom and human rights; Equality and
equal opportunity;
Freedom from want and hunger; Tolerance and
harmony; A global society; That celebrates its unity in diversity;
That believes in sovereign equality of nations, large or small; That
promotes, truth and reconciliation.
Mr. President,
On behalf of the people of Pakistan I assure
you of our cooperation to fashion a safer and better world; A world in
which all children,-yours and mine- live in peace and harmony.
Mr. President,
This is a world in which we all depend on one
another. It demands a return to the path of the United Nations. It
calls for reforming the United Nations on principles of equality and
consensus building.
Mr. President,
In Pakistan the will of the people has
prevailed; Our people have witnessed a profound democratic
transformation.
We have entered into a new era of Democracy,
Rule of law and Human rights, Democracy in Pakistan is of great
importance, not only for our country, but also for our region, and the
world. Pakistan has struggled hard for democracy. My late wife
Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto led the fight for democracy and laid
down her life for it.
Following in the footsteps of her great father
Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto she made the ultimate sacrifice, so that
our nation may live in democracy.
We are now following in her footsteps I, my
Party, my people and Pakistan’s democracy are grateful to the
international community to our Secretary General, His Excellency, Ban
Ki Moon for constituting an International Commission of Investigation
into her assassination.
We are confident that the Commission will
bring out all dimensions of her life, work and tragic assassination.
Mr. President,
The world supported our struggle for
democracy. We thank you for that support. Democracy in Pakistan is
beginning to achieve successes in the fight against militancy.
The real challenge now is to make democracy
sustainable, indeed irreversible. This requires that democracy should
be able to deliver;
It should meet the aspirations of our people
for progress and prosperity. It must give our people peace and
stability.
Mr. President,
Unfortunately, our neighbourhood has witnessed
decades of conflict.
Pakistan has suffered greatly from terrorism
and religious extremism.
Terrorism and extremism was not known to our
society and culture. Religious extremism entered into our society and
the region when we all in the free world, decided to confront the
rival ideology. The policy was based on the exploitation of religion
to motivate Muslims around the world to wage jehad.
It was the policy when the jehadi leaders were
referred to as the “Moral equivalents of George Washington.” It was a
policy that allowed war-lords and criminals to destroy civilizations
to come.
The virus multiplied and has affected the
world. To eliminate militancy we must strike at its roots. Surgery
alone would not be enough. We need to build immunity to contain,
reverse and cure the disease.
We need to address the causes of deprivation,
poverty and illiteracy. We need to adopt dialogue, development and a
judicious use of force as our strategy.
Mr. President,
Pakistan has firmly responded to the
challenges of extremism and militancy. Democracy has given people
ownership to the fight against terrorism.
Today our nation stands fully united in this
struggle. Our law enforcement agencies have, within a short span of
time, cleared large areas in Malakand from the militants. Over 2.5
million were forced to leave their homes. About 2 million were hosted
by their relatives and friends.
I salute the host families. Democracy and
political ownership of war have proved to be chief weapons in the
fight against militancy.
In a short span of ten weeks most of the
internally dislocated have returned to their homes. We are now engaged
in rebuilding their lives.
Pakistan appreciates the support and
understanding of the international community in our efforts. We urge
the international community to reinforce this support further.
We are determined to eliminate terrorism and
extremism from our territory.
For this early return of peace and stability
in Afghanistan is critical. The flow of weapons across the region must
stop. The funding and support to militants by drug barons and other
elements must stop.
We also believe that regional cooperation
against terrorism and extremism holds great promise. We emphasize
regional efforts for peace and stability. Pakistan will continue to
work with Afghanistan and the international community for the early
restoration of peace and stability in that country. Pakistan has
hosted more than 2.5 million Afghan refugees for the past three
decades. We have been hosting them on our own.
We call upon the world to help in the safe
return of the refuges to their homes.
Pakistan’s democracy has begun to deliver. We
are doing more in our self interest. We urge the world democracies to
do more for peace and for the development of people affected by
militancy and terror. We need to create economic opportunities for our
people. We urge our friends and partners to help Pakistan with market
access for the economic revival and well-being of their people.
Mr. President,
Pakistan desires friendly relations with
India. We believe that dialogue is the only way forward. The absence
of dialogue leads to tensions that must be avoided. We look forward to
the resumption of the Composite Dialogue process.
We seek a peaceful resolution of all
outstanding issues with India. Meaningful progress towards resolution
of the Kashmir dispute is necessary for durable peace and stability in
South Asia.
Mr. President,
Pakistan also supports the rights of the
Palestinian people as guaranteed in several UN Resolutions.
Durable peace in the Middle East requires that
the issue of Palestine is addressed meaningfully.
We also call for immediate the release of Aung
San Suu Kyi.
Mr. President,
All nations seek security. Peace and security
are closely linked. Equal security for all is important. We support
all efforts for arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. The
principle of equal security is of fundamental importance for achieving
these objectives. Asymmetries in security especially at the regional
levels need to be redressed.
Pakistan will continue to play a constructive
role
·
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In promoting conflict resolution
and strategic restraint in South Asia.
Ø
In promoting initiatives on
nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation on the basis of
non-discrimination.
Mr. President,
Pakistan’s priority is economic development.
We wish to build on our internal strengths. In this effort, we seek
partnerships. We seek to develop win-win situations.
We are engaged in economic revival by:
Ø
developing our agriculture,
Ø
Building mega hydro projects,
Ø
Initiating water conservation
projects and
Ø
Undertaking infrastructure
projects.
Ø
Promoting regional trade and
cooperation.
Ø
Encouraging, beyond governments,
the corporate sector in the development.
We need to develop frameworks for cooperation
that will deliver quickly.
Mr. President,
In overcoming the challenges faced by the
world the United Nations has a central role to play.
Guided by its principles and the high ideals
in its Charter the UN is fated to succeed.
A democratic Pakistan will continue to uphold
the ideals and values of the United Nations.
Together we shall succeed.
Thank
you.”
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