UNITED NATIONS - Pakistan has told a top-level UN Security Council meeting that it is ready to contribute to the international efforts to counter the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters, while denouncing their distorted ideology and brutal methodology.
“The international community needs to counter this threat in a comprehensive and effective manner, including resolving the conflicts that breed them,” Adviser to Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said, after the adoption of a US-drafted resolution demanding countries toughen their laws to prevent the flow of foreign fighters to terror groups like Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The unanimous vote was held with President Barack Obama chairing the 15-member Council, only the second time a US president had done so and only the sixth time heads of state had participated in such a meeting.
Aziz lauded the US president’s initiative to convene and preside over the meeting. “We fully support the resolution that has been adopted today. The Council’s decisions are timely for mobilising international political will as the threat by foreign terrorist fighters multiplies rapidly,” he said.
“The international community’s fight against terrorism is critical for the world peace and security. This is not a war of one or two nations or one or two regions. It straddles across the globe. We all realise that this war has become much more complex and dynamic. The enemy is ubiquitous and lethal,” Aziz asserted.
Over the past several years, the adviser said, Pakistan had paid a heavy price in blood and resources in the war on terror. More than 50,000 people, including thousands of our soldiers, had become victims of terrorism. “Our resolve to fight terrorism is strong. Right now, as I speak, we are conducting a fierce operation, Zarb-e-Azb, in North Waziristan to take out terrorists and block the sources of their funding. We know from experience that to advance their nefarious agenda, terrorist groups devise sophisticated strategies, use modern technologies and exploit weaknesses in governance infrastructure,” Aziz added.
“To oppose this hydra-headed monster, our responses must be quick, comprehensive and commensurate. At the same time, the international community’s actions need to be compliant with international humanitarian law and our cooperation rooted in the principles enshrined in the UN Charter,” he averred.
The foreign terrorist fighters had no stake in peace and stability of the regions they operate in, the adviser said.
“They thrive on lawlessness and resist every effort towards peace and reconciliation. Often they become the core around which radical and violent extremism flourishes. With the capability and intent to transfer their distorted ideology and brutal methodology, they pose serious threat to local communities. We have witnessed these trends firsthand as we conducted law-enforcement operations against terrorists in our country, including foreign fighters from a number of countries,” he held. “These migrants with their dark designs descend on lands and terrorise civilian populations. They recognise no borders. Pakistan has suffered so much at their hands. We are now determined to interdict them, flush them out and neutralise them,” he concluded.