"A new generation of Kashmiris has risen spontaneously against India's illegal occupation - demanding freedom from occupation. Burhan Wani, the young leader murdered by Indian forces, has emerged as the symbol of the latest Kashmiri Intifada, a popular and peaceful freedom movement, led by Kashmiris, young and old, men and women, armed only with an undying faith in the legitimacy of their cause, and a hunger for freedom in their hearts." Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
In an 18 minute speech to 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly today, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan condemned India's brutal military occupation of Kashmir and demanded a swift end to it.
Mr. Sharif called for a UN-sponsored plebiscite under multiple UN Security Council resolutions to let the Kashmiris decide their own future. He said Pakistan is always ready for an unconditional dialogue with India to resolve all outstanding disputes including the core issue of Kashmir.
In an apparent reference to India's proxy war against Pakistan, the Prime Minister said, " We will not allow externally sponsored terrorism and threats of destabilization to cause turbulence in Pakistan."
In his speech, The Prime Minister asked for an independent inquiry into the continuing extrajudicial killings of innocent Kashmiris by Indian security forces. He said Pakistan is the principal victim of terrorism in South Asia region. He said his country seeks peace, not war or an arms race with its neighbor to the east.
The Prime Minister said Pakistan is "ready for talks (with India) to agree on a bilateral nuclear test ban treaty". He said Pakistan meets all the requirements for membership of the Nuclear Supplies Group.
Here's the full text of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's speech:
Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
We congratulate Mr. Peter Thomson on his election as President of the 71st Session of the
General Assembly.
We agree that implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda
should be the focus of this Session.
We also pay tribute to Mr. Mogens Lykketoft for his capable stewardship of the 70th Session
Mr. President,
Today, three decades after the end of the Cold War, our multipolar world is more free and
vibrant, yet still chaotic and turbulent; more interdependent, but more unequal; more prosperous,
yet still afflicted with poverty.
We see spectacular progress, but also unprecedented human suffering.
The world is at a historic inflection point.
The international order established after the Second World War is passing away, but a new order
has yet to emerge.
Competition between the major powers is becoming more confrontational. This can pose serious
threats to peace across Asia.
A new Cold War threatens to engulf Europe. The momentum there towards "greater union" has
already reversed, Baricades and walls are going up, especially against the tide of misery flowing
out of a turbulent Middle East, In many countries, intolerance has revived the ghosts of
xenophobia and Islamophobia.
Turmoil is intensiffing in the Middle East, International efforts to defeat Daesh are therefore
urgent. For this, it is essential to reconcile the divergent objectives and priorities of regional and
external powers.
Peace cannot be built when injustice prevails. The long festering tragedy of Palestine demands
determined action by the international community
Mr. President,
After decades of strong growth, the world economy has reached a plateau.
Despite this adverse international economic environment, my government has, in three short
years, moved the country towards robust growth.
We have fully integrated the 2030 Development Agenda into our own economic and social
strategy.
This rests on our conviction that people are the true wealth of our nation and that it is human
development, which will determine our future destiny.
Mr. President,
Our priority goal of economic development requires internal peace and stability. My country has
been the principal victim of terrorism including that supported, sponsored and financed from
abroad.
We will not allow externally sponsored terrorism and threats of destabilization to cause
turbulence in Pakistan.
Tens of thousands of our citizens and thousands of our security personnel have been killed or
injured in terrorist attacks.
This has only reinforced our resolve to eliminate the scourge of terrorism. Our comprehensive
strategy of law enforcement and targeted military operations has produced remarkable results and
enabled Pakistan to turn the tide against terrorism.
Pakistan's Zarb-e-Azb Operation is the largest, most robust and most successful anti-terrorism
campaign anywhere in the world, deploying 200,000 of our security forces.
Our comprehensive National Action Plan has the complete endorsement of our people and our
Parliament as well as our security forces, all of whom have made heroic sacrifices to defeat
terrorism.
Mr. President,
Terrorism, however, is now a global phenomenon, which must be addressed comprehensively and
in all its forms, including State terrorism.
The international community must coordinate its efforts to accomplish this. These efforts should
be taken collectively and not unilaterally by the passage of any laws with extra-territorial
application targeted against certain countries.
We will not win the fight against terrorism and violent extremism so long as we do not address
their root causes. These lie in poverty and ignorance, political and social injustice and oppression,
foreign intervention and occupation and denial of the legitimate rights of peoples and nations,
especially the right to self-determination.
Until these underlying causes are addressed, it will be difficult to counter the twisted narrative of
violent extremists and terrorists.
Mr. President,
After 15 years of the current war in Afghanistan, the international community agrees that the only
road to a lasting peace in that country is through a dialogue between the Government in Kabul
and the Afghan Taliban.
Pakistan has long proposed this as the most viable course to end decades of conflict and suffering
in Afghanistan.
Based on this belief in a negotiated peace, and in response to requests from President Ashraf
Ghani, we have been facilitating the process of reconciliation in Afghanistan.
There have been setbacks. That, however, is not a sufficient reason to abandon the path of peace
and rely on the military option, which has failed, for the past decade and a half, to stabilize
Afghanistan.
Progress will be assured only when the Afghan parties themselves conclude that there is no
military solution to the Afghan war, and work assiduously, through a meaningful dialogue
process, for achieving reconciliation and peace at home.
Mr. President,
Over three and a half decades of conflict and chaos in Afghanistan has had grave security and
economic consequences for Pakistan. Almost three million Afghan refugees, to whom we opened
our homes and hearts, remain in Pakistan.
We hope to see them return to Afghanistan, voluntarily and with dignity
Until they do, the international community must shoulder its responsibilities to sustain them.
Mr. President,
Confrontation should not be our destiny in South Asia. Pakistan wants peace with India, I have
gone the extra mile to achieve this, repeatedly offering a dialogue to address all outstanding
issues.
But India has posed unacceptable preconditions to engage in a dialogue. Let us be clear: talks are
no favor to Pakistan. Talks are in the interest of both countries. They are essential to resolve our
differences, especially the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, and to avert the danger of any escalation.
Mr. President,
Peace and normalization between Pakistan and India cannot be achieved without a resolution of
the Kashmir dispute. This is an objective evaluation, not a partisan position.
Our predictions have now been confirmed by events. A new generation of Kashmiris has risen
spontaneously against India's illegal occupation - demanding freedom from occupation. Burhan
Wani, the young leader murdered by Indian forces, has emerged as the symbol of the latest Kashmiri Intifada, a popular and peaceful freedom movement, led by Kashmiris, young and old,
men and women, armed only with an undying faith in the legitimacy of their cause, and a hunger
for freedom in their hearts.
Mr. President,
This indigenous uprising of the Kashmiris has been met, as usual, with brutal repression by
India's occupation force of over half a million soldiers. Over a hundred Kashmiris have been
killed, hundreds, including children and infants, blinded by shotgun pellets and over six thousand
unarmed civilians injured over the past two months.
These Indian brutalities are well documented. I would like to inform the General Assembly that
Pakistan will share with the Secretary General a dossier containing detailed information and
evidence of the gross and systematic violations of human rights committed by Indian forces in
occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
These brutalities will not suppress the spirit of the Kashmiris; it will only intensiff their anger and
fotlify their determination to see India end its occupation of Kashmir. From Srinagar to Sopore,
the men, women and children come out each day, def,ring curfew, to demand freedom.
Mr. President,
Pakistan fully supports the demand of the Kashmiri people for self-determination, as promised to
them by several Security Council resolutions. Their struggle is a legitimate one for liberation
from alien occupation.
International law and the declarations of the United Nations on Self Determination, give the
Kashmiri people the right to struggle for their freedom. Every year, the General Assembly
unanimously adopts the resolution, which reaffirms "the right of all people's to self-determination"
and calls on the states concerned to immediately end their occupation and "all acts
of repression."
Mr. President,
On behalf of the Kashmiri people; on behalf of the mothers, wives, sisters, and fathers of the
innocent Kashmiri children, women and men who have been killed, blinded and injured; on
behalf of the Pakistani nation, I demand an independent inquiry into the extra-judicial killings,
and a IJN fact finding mission to investigate brutalities perpetrated by the Indian occupying
forces, so that those guilty of these atrocities are punished.
We demand the immediate release of all Kashmiri political prisoners; an end to the curfew;
freedom for the Kashmiris to demonstrate peacefully; urgent medical help for the injured;
abrogation of India's draconian 'laws'; and removal of the foreign travel ban on Kashmiri
leaders.
Mr. President,
The Security Council has called for the exercise of the right to self- determination by the people
of Jammu and Kashmir through a free and fair plebiscite held under IIN auspices. The people of
Kashmir have waited 70 years for implementation of this promise. The Security Council must
honour its commitments by implementing its own decisions. This General Assembly must demand that India deliver on the commitments its leaders solemnly made on many occasions
To this end, steps should be taken by the United Nations to de-militarize Jammu and Kashmir and
undertake consultations with India, Pakistan and the true representatives of the Kashmiri people
to implement the resolutions of the Security Council. In this context, we welcome the offer of
good offices by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. We will also open consultations with members
of the Security Council to explore the modalities for implementation of the Security Council
resolutions on Kashmir.
Mr. President,
The international community ignores the danger of rising tensions in South Asia, at its own peril.
For its part, Pakistan is committed to the establishment of strategic stability in the region. It
neither wants, nor is it engaged in an arms race with India.
But we cannot ignore our neighbor's unprecedented arms build up and will take whatever
measures are necessary to maintain credible deterrence.
We have consistently urged the conclusion of bilateral arms control and disarmament measures
between Pakistan and India to prevent conflict and avoid wasteful military expenditures.
We are open to discussing all measures of restraint and responsibility with India, in any forum or
format and without any conditions. We are ready for talks to agree on a bilateral nuclear test ban treaty.
Today, from this rostrum, I would also like to reiterate our offer to India to enter into a serious
and sustained dialogue for the peaceful resolution of all outstanding disputes, especially Jammu
and Kashmir.
Mr. President,
As a responsible nuclear weapon state, Pakistan will continue to cooperate with all international
efforts that seek to promote fair and equitable solutions to disarmament and non-proliferation
challenges.
We have introduced 'state of the aft' measures to strengthen the safety and security of our nuclear
materials and facilities. We have adopted a comprehensive export control regime that is fully
consistent with international standards.
Judged on the basis of objective criteria, and without discrimination, Pakistan is fully eligible for
membership of the Nuclear Suppliers' Group.
Mr. President,
In our turbulent and interdependent world, the United Nations remains an indispensable
Organization to restore order and ensure global peace, stability and prosperity. Its principles
remain the crucial pillars of international legality, the guide for the conduct of Member States and
the guarantor of the legitimate rights of all nations and peoples.
The IIN must regain its credibility as the central instrument for the promotion of peace, prosperity
and liberty.
To that end, it should become more representative, transparent and accountable. A comprehensive
and democratic reform of the Security Council, which Pakistan supports, should enhance its
relevance and representation, Creating new centers of privilege will do the opposite.
Mr. President,
Pakistan's unwavering commitment to the UN is well established. We have played a pioneering
and consistent role in UN Peacekeeping.
Despite our own security requirements, we will remain one of world's largest troop contributing
countries and maintain our record of success in multiple UN peacekeeping operations.
Mr. President,
Pakistan has a vital stake in ending conflicts, fostering peace, fighting terorism, strengthening
democracy, promoting human rights, generating global growth and overcoming the challenges of
environmental degradation. We can achieve these goals, and create a new and peaceful world
order, only through the United Nations and by strict adherence to the principles of its Charter.
I thank you, Mr. President.
Here's a video of Prime Minister Sharif's UNGA speech:
Military officials are calling it a routine exercise, but the thunderous spectacle of Pakistani fighter jets touching down on a major highway Wednesday and Thursday, with commercial flights suspended and traffic blocked for hours, has fueled public speculation that something much more ominous is afoot.
The display of military readiness, which included a late-night jet flyover Thursday above this capital city, has come amid an unusually tense showdown with India, Pakistan’s nuclear-armed rival, following a militant attack Sunday that killed 18 Indian soldiers in the disputed border region of Kashmir. The air exercise led to the closure of commercial airspace over several regions of the country and triggered a sudden drop in the nation’s stock market.
Indian officials have accused Pakistan of sending the armed attackers across the de facto border into the Indian portion of Kashmir. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under public pressure to retaliate for Sunday’s assault, vowed that those behind the “despicable attack” would not go unpunished. So far, though, his government has taken no action.
Pakistani officials have strongly denied the charges, and its military leaders have declared that they are prepared to defend Pakistani territory from any attack by India, and also to launch a “counter-offensive” in case of an Indian strike. The two neighboring countries have been adversaries for decades and have fought four wars.
On Thursday, Indian naval officials issued a high alert for coastal areas after school children claimed to have seen four men moving “suspiciously” near a naval facility near the city of Mumbai, according to the Press Trust of India. Schools and some public buildings in the area were shut while a manhunt was conducted, and security was tightened at other coastal facilities.
In New York, meanwhile, Pakistan and Indian officials have carried on a parallel war of words at the U.N. General Assembly. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif delivered a strident speech Wednesday, denouncing what he called ongoing Indian repression against unarmed protesters in Kashmir.
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Shahid Latif, a former deputy air force chief, said it was important to remind India of Pakistan’s military and nuclear strength as a deterrent to any impulsive act. He said the air force now has upgraded F-16s and JF-17 Thunder fighter planes.
“India is very frustrated and it could do something rash, such as launching surgical strikes,” he said. “Our forces are well prepared to counter any Indian attack, our air force is doing the exercises and the motorway is also being used for that.” If India attacks, he said, “our military command knows what it has to do.”
Pakistani officials said that on Wednesday and Thursday, Pakistani fighter planes landed and took off repeatedly at several points along the six-lane highway linking Islamabad with the eastern city of Lahore, near the Indian border. Highway officials said they were informed only shortly before each landing, and that they then diverted traffic to other roads.
They said the fighter jets also landed Wednesday on another six-lane motorway that connects Islamabad to the western city of Peshawar to Islamabad. They said flights from Islamabad to the northern areas of Gilgit, Chitral and Skardu were suspended and will remain so for the next several days, with local airports being used by the air force.
Comment by Riaz Haq on September 26, 2016 at 2:08pm
Maleeha Lodhi's response to Sushma Swaraj's UN GA speech:
Her (Sushma Swaraj) statement is a litany of falsehoods about Pakistan and a travesty of facts and history. It only reflects the deceit and hostility of her Government towards Pakistan.
...Their call for freedom has been met with characteristic Indian brutality. During the last two and a half months, over a hundred innocent Kashmiris have been killed, hundreds blinded and thousands injured by Indian bullets and pellets, including infants, children, women and men. This is the worst form of state terrorism, a war crime, that India has continued to perpetrate in the situation of foreign occupation in Jammu and Kashmir for the past many decades.
Pakistan demands a full and impartial investigation of these Indian atrocities and massive human rights violations in Kashmir. We ask that India accept the investigation proposed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and allow them access for the purpose.
Mr. President,
Jammu and Kashmir never was and can never be an integral part of India. It is a disputed territory, the final status of which has yet to be determined in accordance with several resolutions of the UN Security Council.
The right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination has been recognized and promised to them by the UN Security Council and by India and Pakistan.
For 70 years, India has prevented the Kashmiris, through force and fraud, from exercising this right and holding the UN supervised Plebiscite to enable the Kashmiris to determine their political destiny.
The struggle of the Kashmiri people for self-determination is a legitimate struggle. And, they have the right to receive moral and political support from the international community.
Mr. President,
The attack on the Indian Army base in Uri, particularly its timing, has all the hallmarks of anoperation designed to divert attention from India's atrocities in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The international community is well aware that several such incidents have been staged in the past to serve India’s tactical and propaganda objectives.
India is utilizing the Uri incident to blame Pakistan for the current Kashmiri uprising and divert attention from its brutal occupation.
India’s government is delusional if it believes that it can "isolate" any country. It is India itself, which because of its war crimes in Kashmir and elsewhere, and because of its warmongering, is likely to be isolated in the international community.
Mr. President,
It is India that has long been a sponsor and practitioner of state terrorism.
Over the course of the last half century, India has sponsored and perpetrated terrorism and aggression against all its neighbors; creating terrorist groups; destabilizing and blockading neighbors to do its strategic bidding and sponsoring subversion, sabotage and terrorism in various parts of Pakistan.
The recently captured Indian spy, an intelligenceofficer, Kulbhushan Yadav, has confessed to India’s support to such terrorist and subversive activities particularly in Balochistan and Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Indeed, it was Kulbhushan, who was financing, arming and supporting individuals and entities listed under the UN sanctions regime.
India’s policy of interference in Pakistan, especially its attempt to destabilize Balochistan, are now on record. This is blatant violation of the principles of the UN Charter.
In fact, this is the way it is for almost any leader. New UK PM Theresa May spoke just before Trudeau today and it was empty for her.
I’ve covered the UN leaders week three times and sat in that hall and watched leaders of China, Russia, France, Germany — you name it — speak to empty seats. The only leader that fills the hall every time is the president of the United States (no matter who s/he is).
That’s the just the way it is at the UN.
Comment by Riaz Haq on September 27, 2016 at 4:05pm
Trudeau speaks to empty hall at UN. Just like everyone else.
That was Gerald Butts during last year’s election campaign tweeting a picture of former prime minister Stephen Harper’s last speech at the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. Butts, then, was trying to help Justin Trudeau become prime minister. He did a great job at that and Trudeau won. Butts is now Trudeau’s principal secretary and it was Trudeau, today, who took Canada’s speaking slot at the 71st United Nations General Assembly, the annual parade of world leaders to the dais at UN headquarters in New York City to say whatever is on their mind.
Here’s some photos of the hall when Trudeau spoke today:
This one is pretty much the same angle as the pic tweeted by Butts. There’s a few more people here than Harper. But it’s still pretty empty.
And let’s pull out a bit and see different angles:
The pictures here were taken, incidentally, by the United Nations, the Canadian Press, the AFP and one’s a screen grab from the CBC.
The point is: It’s silly, as Butts tried to claim in his mid-election tweet, that we should measure the greatness of our statesmen or our states by the number of diplomats’ bums they can put in seats at the United Nations General Assembly.
This is the way it is always for any Canadian PM. The room is always empty.
In fact, this is the way it is for almost any leader. New UK PM Theresa May spoke just before Trudeau today and it was empty for her.
I’ve covered the UN leaders week three times and sat in that hall and watched leaders of China, Russia, France, Germany — you name it — speak to empty seats. The only leader that fills the hall every time is the president of the United States (no matter who s/he is).
That’s the just the way it is at the UN.
Diplomat Kevin McGurgan has this helpful perspective:
The recently concluded IDEAS 2024, Pakistan's Biennial International Arms Expo in Karachi, featured the latest products offered by Pakistan's defense industry. These new products reflect new capabilities required by the Pakistani military for modern war-fighting to deter external enemies. The event hosted 550 exhibitors, including 340 international defense companies, as well as 350 civilian and military officials from 55 countries.
Barrick Gold CEO Mark Bristow says he’s “super excited” about the company’s Reko Diq copper-gold development in Pakistan. Speaking about the Pakistani mining project at a conference in the US State of Colorado, the South Africa-born Bristow said “This is like the early days in Chile, the Escondida discoveries and so on”, according to Mining.com, a leading industry publication. "It has enormous…
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