UNITED NATIONS: Underscoring that civilians have become growing victims in ongoing armed conflicts, Pakistan has called for addressing the root cause of the conflicts and their resolution to promote international peace and security.
Speaking in the UN Security Council, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi underscored the need for all parties to comply with their obligations and abide by international law to mitigate the unspeakable suffering of civilians.
Tens of thousands of people including women, children and the elderly have become tragic victims of conflicts not of their making, Ambassador Lodhi said in a debate on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in which 70 countries took part.
Civilian casualties have mounted and with that the need for humanitarian assistance she added. The goal of protection of civilians is best served by preventing the outbreak of armed conflicts in the first place addressing the root causes of conflicts and finding inclusive political solutions to disputes and seek peaceful settlement of conflicts, the Pakistani envoy told the 15-member Council.
This we believe is the strategy that would lead us to sustainable and enduring peace and security. The protection of civilians is a system wide responsibility, Ambassador Lodhi said and the primary responsibility is of the Governments.
While a normative framework was in place compliance was sporadic and defiance remained rampant especially on the part of non State actors.
Pakistan supported efforts to strengthen compliance and accountability as well as the UN High level Panel’s recommendations for better training for peacekeepers and closer trilateral dialogue.
She pointed out Pakistan as one of world’s top troop contributing countries has proudly and conscientiously undertaken the task of proactively protecting civilians when mandated by the Council including in current missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Darfur, Ivory Coast, Central African Republic and Liberia.
We have demonstrated that this can be done by a robust deterrence posture and without resort to the use of force, she said adding action by Pakistani troops in UNAMID offers an example of active protection of civilians while adhering to the principles of peacekeeping.
Through robust posturing and preventive diplomacy it was able to avert a bloodbath.Appreciating the acknowledgement in the Secretary General’s report that Pakistan’s counter terrorism operations involves better advance planning to limit the effect on civilians, Ambassador Lodhi reiterated that these were law enforcement actions not a situation of armed conflict. We of course strongly condemn the deliberate targeting of civilians in conflict situations, the Pakistani envoy said.
We have even temporarily relocated civilians to protect them from deliberate targeting by terrorists in areas where law enforcement operations are going on.
Deploring that terrorists were not bound by any consideration of humanity, she said they have not even spared school children as the cowardly attack on a school in Peshawar showed a year ago. Even so the response of states to combat terrorism must be measured, well planned and carefully targeted to protect civilian lives and uphold human rights. Anything less would play into the hands of terrorists and be counter productive, Ambassador Lodhi added.