Document 19

Statement by Mr. Abdul Sattar, Foreign Minister of Pakistan at the Public Meeting on "Afghanistan" in the Security Council,November 13, 2001  

Mr. President,

I am grateful to you and the distinguished Members of the Security Council for this opportunity to make a statement on the situation in Afghanistan.

This morning, we listened with attention and respect to the statement of the Secretary General envisioning a hopeful evolution in Afghanistan.  The process proposed by Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi testifies to his insights  into the problem in Afghanistan.

At the Six-plus-Two Meeting yesterday, Pakistan joined in pledging full support for the sovereignty and independence of Afghanistan, and its unity and territorial integrity.  An interim administration of the Afghans for their country needs to be urgently facilitated.

We greatly appreciate that the Security Council Members are intensely engaged in efforts for bringing peace to Afghanistan. These efforts have assumed greater urgency as the situation in Afghanistan is evolving fast.

Afghanistan and its people deserve an end to their travail. For over two decades they have  suffered at the hands of both man and nature. They have been victims of foreign intervention and internecine war, ambitions of warlords and irrational obsessions of Osama Bin Laden who has abused the Afghan tradition of hospitality to spread terror across the globe.

The terrorist attacks of 11 September, killing thousand of innocent people in New York and Washington provoked righteous condemnation by the United Nations. Pakistan joined the world community in expressing our grief and condolences. We also followed words with actions and joined the coalition for the war against international terrorism in order to bring perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of the outrage to justice.

The military action has inflicted unintended suffering on innocent people in Afghanistan. We grieve for them, too. We believe that the military action will be as short as possible and that the achievements of its objectives will also pave the way for bringing an end to the suffering of the Afghan people.

In his speech to the General Assembly on 10 November, President Pervez Musharraf called for the military strategy to be combined with political and humanitarian strategies to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan as well as relief and reconstruction to its people.

The United Nations has long endorsed the principle that the government in Afghanistan should be broad-based, representative and multi-ethnic. Pakistan has emphasized that for stability the government should be representative of the demography of Afghanistan. The political strategy should ensure the unity and territorial integrity of Afghanistan. The process of formation of the post-Taliban government should be home-grown as far as possible with the United Nations and OIC providing needed facilitation. Another important principle to be kept in view is that the new government should commit itself to implementation of Security Council resolutions. In the interest of peace and stability in the region, it should maintain friendly relations with all the neighbours of Afghanistan.  We are happy to see that these ideas are fully shared by the Six-plus-Two Group and are the basis of the plan prepared by Ambassador Brahimi.

Afghan groups have become more active since early October. The Northern Alliance entered into an agreement with King Zahir Shah for the formation of an interim government.

On October 24-25 the Assembly for Peace and Unity of Afghanistan held a large conference of more than 1500 Afghan notables, including Mujahideen leaders and commanders, influential Maliks of powerful tribes, and dignitaries of ethnic communities. The conference adopted a resolution in favour of the traditional Afghan process of a Loya Jirga for the formation of a government of peace and unity. It envisaged an important role for King Zahir Shah in efforts to end the crisis. The King expressed appreciation for the conference as a beneficial opportunity for an intra-Afghan dialogue aimed at forging national unity.

The military situation in Afghanistan is changing at accelerating pace.  The Northern Alliance forces have claimed control of large territory, and are reported to be pressing on Kabul.

It is particularly important at such moment to retain political objectives in focus.  The hope of forming a broad-based, multi-ethnic government is at stake.  We would, therefore, urge acceleration of political action, to convene a meeting of eminent and influential Afghans as soon as possible for the formation of a broad-based, multi-ethnic interim arrangement. In this regard, we endorse the four-step approach proposed by Ambassador Brahimi.  However, speed is of the
essence.  Withdrawal of the Taliban from Kabul has created a dangerous political vacuum.  Unless the United Nations is able to put together a political dispensation which is representative of all segments of the Afghan population, conflict and turmoil would continue to afflict that unfortunate country.

For such an interim political dispensation and administration to play the expected role for the peace, stability and unity of Afghanistan, it would be vital for it to move to Kabul, the capital and the symbol of unity of the State.

Peace and security of Kabul should have to be secured.  A multi-national force should be created with the coalition providing back up support.

Fears have been expressed of reprisals and even ethnic cleansing in parts of Afghanistan.
Such a disaster needs to be prevented.  Otherwise, hopes of preserving the unity of Afghanistan could suffer a mortal blow.

Pakistan hopes that peace in Afghanistan would be followed by international efforts for rehabilitation and reconstruction in Afghanistan. Only thus can we in Pakistan hope for the refugees to return to their country.

In addition to the military and political strategies, there is a need to urgently address the grave humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. This requires urgent concerted and coordinated efforts, supported with generous funding, to address the needs of the Afghans not only in refuge camps but also inside Afghanistan.  This involves the delivery inside Afghanistan of humanitarian assistance to the people in their home localities.  It also involves the setting up of camps inside Afghanistan to provide emergency support and assistance to internally displaced persons.

Except for Afghanistan itself, no country has suffered more than Pakistan as a result of turmoil in Afghanistan. For more than two decades we have provided asylum to over three million refugees. The economic and social burden on Pakistan aggravated after 1989 as world assistance for their maintenance dried to a trickle. The refugees entered the labour force, displacing Pakistanis and increasing unemployment in our country. We are not in a position to open our borders for all those who may want to enter Pakistan in search for food and relief. Despite restrictions, over 80,000 Afghans have crossed into Pakistan in the past two months.  Opening of the borders will bring a massive influx of refugees into Pakistan, which we cannot afford.  There are more than one and half million internally displaced persons in Afghanistan and around 5 to 7 million vulnerable people.  It is, therefore, essential to provide assistance to the need Afghans inside their own country.  However, Pakistan continues to allow the vulnerable Afghans and injured civilians, women and children to be housed in refugee camps close to the border in Pakistan on a temporary basis.  Pakistan, for its part, will continue to do whatever it can to alleviate the hardship of the Afghans.

Once peace returns to Afghanistan, humanitarian relief has to be sustained.  No peace process can work without commensurate support to rebuild and rehabilitate this war-ravaged nation.  The need to concurrently evolve a comprehensive post-conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation plan is, therefore, equally important which will be put in place as soon as peace returns to Afghanistan.  It is imperative for the international community to immediately begin work on this plan and arrange the necessary finances to support and sustain it.  Any reconstruction effort in Afghanistan must, at the minimum, entail the restoration of water management systems, reviving of agriculture, reconstruction of the infrastructure, rebuilding of institutions as well as the continued humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.  To this end the President of Pakistan proposed the establishment of an “Afghan Trust Fund” under UN auspices to assist in humanitarian relief as well as national reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in Afghanistan.

This time, the international community must not walk away from Afghanistan.  It must demonstrate the political will and the determination to engage and help the Afghan people in rebuilding peace and the economy of their country.  We disappointed the Afghans in the past. 

The negative consequence of that neglect is clear for everyone to see.  We must not repeat that mistake. Before concluding, Mr. President, I wish to reiterate Pakistan’s commitment to full cooperation with the United Nations in its efforts to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan.

I thank you, Mr. President.n

Reference: http://www.un.int/pakistan/08011113.html