Pakistan calls for distinguishing terrorism from legitimate struggle for self-determination
New York: Pakistan has called for combating all forms of terrorism and their root causes, while ensuring that counter-terrorism efforts are not misused to violate human rights as the occupying powers are doing in Palestine and Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, said during a debate in the General Assembly ‘s Legal (sixth) Committee on ‘Measures to eliminate International Terrorism’, said, “The international community collectively needs to do more to address prolonged unresolved conflicts, foreign occupation and denial of the right to self-determination to peoples under colonial domination and alien rule.”
He also underscored the need for addressing injustice, oppression and violations of international law under the pretext of counter terrorism. “We must also clearly distinguish between terrorism and the legitimate struggle of peoples against foreign occupation and for their inalienable right to self-determination,” the Pakistani envoy added.
Noting that this menace continues to mutate into various new forms, Ambassador Jadoon proposed reforming UN’s counter-terrorism architecture from within, through adequate changes to the sanctions regimes to incorporate new and emerging threats and ending the stigmatization of Islam and Muslims.
Pakistan, he said, has led the fight against terrorism for over two decades and suffered over 90,000 casualties — our brave soldiers and civilians, including school children– but unfortunately, continues to suffer from state-sponsored terrorism from across the country’s borders, including terrorist attacks by the TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) , Da’esh, the BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) and its Majeed Brigade that target innocent civilians and children.
“Pakistan has the will, determination and capability to defeat this externally sponsored terrorism, which is actively aided, abetted and financed by a neighbour, ironically an aggressor, a country that also likes to play the victim,” he said in an obvious reference to India.
He pointed out that global counter-terrorism efforts had failed to address state terrorism – including the use of state power to suppress legitimate struggles for self-determination or to prolong foreign occupation, which are amongst its worst manifestations. There was also the problem of state sponsorship of terrorism in other countries.
The Pakistani envoy urged international community to address this phenomenon and the impunity that continues to be associated with such state terrorism and ensure that counter-terrorism efforts are not misused to violate human rights and provisions of international humanitarian law, as is being done by the occupying powers in Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir.
Any definition of terrorism must also encompass the new and emerging forms of extremism and terrorism, including violent acts by white supremacists, far right extremists, violent nationalist, xenophobic, Islamophobic and anti-Muslim groups, such as Hindutva groups, and similar ideologies in various parts of the world, he said.
“We must also take into account the state sponsored extra-territorial assassinations and disinformation campaigns, use of terrorist groups as proxies and hyrdoterrorism as instruments of state policy.”
