UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 14 (APP): Pakistan is making “focused
efforts” to stamp out violent extremism and terrorism, Ambassador
Maleeha Lodhi has told the U.N. General Assembly, while slamming
attempts by unprincipled politicians to build their political
fortunes by spreading fear and the deliberate mischaracterization
of people of other faiths or cultures.
Speaking in the 193-member Assembly’s debate on the proposed
UN Secretary-General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism,
the Pakistani envoy regretted that the rising tide in the West of Xenophobia, in particular Islamophobia, had so far gone unchecked.
At the same time, Ambassador Lodhi deplored any attempt to
associate violent extremism and terrorism with any country, race,
religion, culture or nationality and urged the international
community to ensure that this is fully reflected in their national
and international actions.
Tabled in December 2015, the proposed action plan recommended
that each Member State develop its own national action plan to
prevent violent extremism, with a focus on seven priority areas:
dialogue and conflict prevention; strengthening good governance;
human rights and the rule of law; engaging communities; empowering
youth; gender equality and empowering women; education, skill
development and employment facilitation; and strategic communications, including through the Internet and social media.
The proposed action plan received mix reviews during the
debate. While some delegates agreed on the need to prevent
violent extremism, others felt the proposal lacked a deeper
and broader look into the root-causes of radicalization.
Opening the debate, General Assembly President Mogens
Lykketoft said violent extremism was on the rise across the
world, and the pain, fear and destruction it caused presented
real and difficult challenges for all Member States.
In that regard, confronting and preventing the phenomenon
was fundamental to protecting all societies and people, he
emphasized.
In her speech, the Pakistani envoy said that violent extremism
was the result of interplay between local and external factors and
that “both dimensions have to be addressed by an effective
preventive strategy.”
“Economic deprivation, political injustice, social exclusion
and marginalization of people need to be addressed not only in
the local context but also in the wider international context.”
Ambassador Lodhi argued that injustices done to people under
foreign occupation, denial of the right to self-determination, long-festering and unresolved disputes, and interference in the
internal affairs of States create conditions that are exploited
by violent extremists and terrorists to propagate their twisted
ideologies.
“The international community, in particular the United
Nations, already has a responsibility to address these issues.
Doing so, diligently, will also address the drivers of violent
extremism and the conditions conducive to terrorism.”
Pakistan, she said, was gratified to note that the
international community is finally acknowledging the need
to go beyond security and military centered counterterrorist
measures and adopt a more comprehensive approach.
Pakistan has long advocated this so that the underlying
factors that drive terrorist violence are addressed in their
entirety. But Ambassador Lodhi expressed surprise and dismay
at the relatively little attention given by the Secretary-General’s
Action Plan to obvious international factors that have so
decisively influenced the emergence of violent extremism.
Stressing the need to ensure respect for international
law and human rights in counterterrorism measures, the
Pakistani envoy assailed foreign military interventions that
she said have rendered countries and regions susceptible to
the chaos in which violent extremism thrives.
She also criticized so-called surgical counterterrorism
strikes, in violation of the territorial integrity of States,
which have resulted in thousands of civilian casualties and
left entire communities angry and determined to avenge such
impunity.
With regard to the Secretary General’s call for National
Action Plans to prevent violent extremism, Ambassador Lodhi
said Pakistan had taken to curb this threat, at the national,
regional and international levels.
She said that eight of the 20 Action Points of Pakistan’s
National Action Plan to counter terrorist violence pertain to
preventing violent extremism. “We are fully cognizant of our
national challenges and are making focused efforts to deal
with this scourge.”
The ambassador added, “Unfortunately unprincipled,
xenophobic politicians have sought to build their political
fortunes by spreading fear and deliberate mischaracterization
of people of other faiths or culture. This too fuels the
process of radicalization.”
Reiterating Pakistan’s principled position against terrorism
in all its forms and manifestations, Ambassador Lodhi assured the
country’s support to all efforts aimed at preventing violent
extremism and terrorism in a balanced manner, consistent with
the purposes and principles of the United Nations.