GOA: As India brings up the topic of terrorism, foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday warned the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states against “weaponizing terrorism for diplomatic point scoring.
“ Prior to Bilawal’s speech, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the Indian minister for external affairs, stated that the threat of terrorism still exists and that turning a blind eye to it would be detrimental to everyone’s security interests. “We share responsibility for the overall safety of our people. The security of the world remains in danger from terrorism. Let’s avoid using terrorism as a diplomatic bargaining chip, Bilawal said during his speech to the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) summit in Goa.
“When I speak on this topic [terrorism], I do so not only as the foreign minister of Pakistan, whose people have suffered the most in terms of the number of attacks and the number of fatalities, but also as a human being,” the FM said. I also speak as a son whose mother was murdered by terrorists, and I can relate to victims all over the world in a way that most people cannot. I am steadfastly committed to helping with regional and international efforts to eliminate this threat, as is my nation.
Bilawal, who is in charge of the delegation representing his nation at the two-day SCO CFM meeting in Goa, emphasized that eliminating this threat calls for both a “comprehensive approach” and a “collective approach.”
He said that the root causes need to be addressed as well as the threats posed by specific groups.
“It requires that we let this challenge unite us to fight it rather than divide us to become its victim. Our success requires us to isolate this issue from geo-political partisanship,” he maintained, adding that practical, pragmatic solutions exist for us to put an end to this chapter once and for all.
“We must stop conflating non-state actors with state actors. Condemn all forms of terrorism including state-sponsored terrorism,” he stressed.
Highlighting the importance of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, Bilawal said that it is not only crucial for regional integration and economic cooperation, but also for global peace and stability.
“When great powers play the role of peacemaker, we can unlock the potential of peace while paving the way for greater cooperation, regional integration and economic opportunities for our peoples,” he said.
The foreign minister said that the situation in Afghanistan presents new challenges as well as opportunities.
“We continue to call the international community to meaningfully engage with the interim Afghan government to better understand and influence the course of events. After being the playground for great powers, time and time again, we owe it to the people of Afghanistan to not repeat the mistakes of the past.
“A united international community must continue to urge the Afghan authorities to adopt universally-accepted principles of political inclusivity, and respecting the rights of all Afghans, including girls’ right to education.”
Bilawal went on to say that the international community should also help build their counter-terrorism capacity for the security of Afghanistan, the region and the world at large.
“It is alarming that terrorist groups within Afghanistan are cooperating amongst themselves more than we are as the international community,” he lamented, adding that as the country that will be the first but not the last to suffer the consequences, Pakistan calls on the interim Afghan authorities to uphold their commitments on not allowing the use of Afghan soil for terrorism.
“A peaceful and stable Afghanistan is a key not only to regional integration and economic cooperation but also to global peace and stability. We believe the SCO Afghanistan Contact Group can play a role in coordinating practical cooperation with Afghanistan,” he said.
Mentioning China’s “commendable” role in bridging differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran — two countries that are also associated with the SCO, the minister said: “When great powers play role of peace maker, we can unlock potential of peace while paving way for greater cooperation, regional integration and economic opportunities for our peoples.”
In March, China’s President Xi Jinping helped broker a surprise deal between regional rivals Tehran and Riyadh to end a seven-year rift and restore diplomatic ties — a display of China’s growing influence in the region.
Reiterated Pakistan’s strong commitment to SCO, the foreign minister said: “There couldn’t be a more powerful indication of the importance that Pakistan attaches to the SCO than my presence here in Goa for this CFM.”
He underscored the importance that Pakistan accords to the principles of mutual trust and shared development as enshrined in the “Shanghai Spirit”.
Pakistan, Bilawal said, strongly believes in and fully adheres to principles of mutual trust and shared development enshrined in the original “Shanghai Spirit”.
Commenting on the organisation’s role in enhancing regional connectivity, the top Pakistani diplomat said: “SCO could be a key platform for taking the vision of Eurasian connectivity to the next level.”
Further sharing his vision for poverty alleviation in the region, Bilawal highlighted that there is a very strong and compelling case for closer cooperation for poverty alleviation under SCO.
“The establishment of the Special Working Group on Poverty Alleviation proposed by Pakistan will be a step in that direction,” he said.
Emphasising on the SCO’s role as an intergovernmental organisation, he spoke about how the entity has emerged as a platform for promoting mutual understanding, security and development through constructive and mutually beneficial cooperation.
Shedding light on the significance of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on the region, he said that the project can be a force multiplier for regional connectivity.
“For too long, we have lamented the lack of connectivity between our economies — an impediment to regional trade and investment,” he said.
Bilawal maintained that CPEC does not only connect Pakistan to its neighbour China but also offers all countries invested in the commonality of the future of this region to take the journey further and connect the dots towards full regional economic integration.
Given Pakistan’s fight with climate change as one of the worst-affected nations in the world, the foreign minister informed the fellow participants present at the summit about the country’s role in pushing for global discourse on climate change.
“Pakistan has emerged as an important voice in the global discourse on climate change in the aftermath of that natural calamity,” Bilawal said.
In his address, the minister reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to multilateralism for maintaining international peace and harmony.
“Pakistan remains committed to multilateralism and continues to play a leading role at all international forums,” he reiterated.
