Oct 01 , 2015

News

PM highlights Kashmir issue in UN, offers four-point peace initiative
PM says steps should be taken to demilitarise Kashmir

NEW YORK – In his speech to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that Kashmir issue must be solved if Pakistan and India were to live in peace.

Addressing the General Assembly here, he said that tensions along the Line of Control were increasing, adding that Pakistan and India should work together for peace. “Relations between the two countries should be defined by cooperation, not confrontation,” he said.

The prime minister told the high-level delegates that he was using the opportunity to propose a new peace initiative with India, starting with measures that were the simplest to implement, proposing that:

1) Pakistan and India formalise and respect the 2003 understanding for a complete ceasefire along the Line of Control in Kashmir to be monitored by an expanded UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan.

2) Pakistan and India reaffirm that they will not resort to the use or the threat of use of force under any circumstances, a central element of the UN Charter.

3) Steps should be taken to demilitarise Kashmir.

4) Pakistan and India agree to an unconditional mutual withdrawal from Siachen Glacier.

- Afghanistan crisis -

Speaking on the Afghan situation, Nawaz Sharif said, “Pakistan is an advocate of peace in Afghanistan.” He said that no country could benefit from strained relations between the two countries.

He said that Pakistan wanted to cooperate with the Afghan government, adding that a peaceful Afghanistan was necessary for regional stability.

- Terrorism should be eliminated -

Lamenting the damages that terrorism has done to the world - especially Pakistan – the prime minister said that poverty and illiteracy should be eliminated in order to curb the menace of terrorism.

He said that Zarb-e-Azb miltiary operation was the largest anti-terrorism campaign in the world, adding that at least 180,000 security personnel were part of the initiative. "Pakistan is proud of its peace efforts," he said.

- Nuclear non-proliferation -

Underscoring that Pakistan neither wanted to, nor was it engaged in, an arms race in South Asia, Prime Minister Sharif said, "We cannot, however, remain oblivious to the evolving security dynamics and arms buildup in our region, which obliges us to take essential steps to maintain our security."

"As a responsible nuclear weapon state, Pakistan will continue to support the objectives of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. We have maintained the highest standards of nuclear security and have established an effective regime to ensure the safety and security of our nuclear facilities and stocks," he added.

"South Asia needs strategic stability and this requires serious dialogue to achieve nuclear restraint, conventional balance and conflict resolution," he said.

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk


 

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