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Document
9 "At the invitation of Prime Minister
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the President of Pakistan H.E. General Pervez
Musharraf visited India on 14-16 July, 2001. In keeping with
his abiding vision of good neighbourly relations between India and Pakistan,
the Prime Minister had invited President General Pervez Musharraf to walk
the high road of peace and reconciliation. Our commitment to that noble
objective, upon the attainment of which, rests the welfare of many, is not
transitory. It is that commitment, which was demonstrated at Simla, in Lahore
and recently during President General Pervez Musharraf’s visit. Significant CBMs
that were announced prior to President Musharraf’s visit would be fully
implemented on our part. It is our conviction that, when put in place, they
will make an important contribution to our relations. During his visit,
the President of Pakistan had extensive discussions with our entire leadership.
These included three rounds of one-on-one meetings with the Prime Minister
and an hour-long farewell call prior to his departure yesterday night. There
were also detailed discussions during delegation level talks. All these
meetings were marked by cordiality and candour. They provided an invaluable
opportunity to both sides to understand each others’ viewpoints, concerns
and compulsions. Our negotiations
for an agreed text of a document were seriously pursued. There were long
hours of discussions at official and political levels. During these negotiations
India did not shy away from any issue. In keeping with the confidentiality,
which is necessary for these negotiations, and the maintenance of which
is essential for the future of bilateral relations themselves, it would
not be proper to go into details. However, it needs assertion that, during
the negotiating process, India fully respected all established international
norms. As a mature and responsible democracy, we negotiate to improve bilateral
relations with our neighbours, not to indulge in public relations. We are of course, disappointed
that the two sides could not arrive at an agreed text. It will not be a
breach of confidentiality to clarify that this was on an account of the
difficulty in reconciling our basic approaches to bilateral relations. India
is convinced that narrow, segmented or unifocal approaches, will simply
not work. Our focus has to remain on the totality of relationship; our endeavour
to build trust and confidence, and a mutually beneficial relationship even
as we address and move forward on all outstanding issues, including Jammu
& Kashmir; building upon the existing compacts of Simla and Lahore. It was also made abundantly clear to the
Pakistan side during the visit, that the promotion of cross-border terrorism
and violence are unacceptable and must cease. Let there be no illusions
on this score: India has the will and resolve to defeat all such challenges.
DOCUMENT # 9
Statement
by the Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdul Sattar at the World Conference Against
Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, September
1, 2001
Mr. President, Excellencies, Distinguished delegates,
It is an honour to be in South Africa. The
history of the South African people - their travail, their fortitude in
the protracted struggle against tyrannical Apartheid and their glorious
triumph - is an inspiring epic of humanity's irresistible determination
to win freedom and equality, and glorify the dignity of the human person. This being my first visit to South Africa,
I want to offer tribute to Nelson Mandela. His life testifies to the transcendence
of the human spirit over oppression and persecution, hatred and vengeance.
He and his intrepid companions - Steve Beko, Olivier Tambo, Aflred Xuma,
Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki and Thabo Mbeki among others - etched their immortal
names in the history of humanity's march to civilization. They suffered
and sacrificed so that others may live in honour and dignity, free from
alien domination and dehumanizing discrimination. [We join in the grief
of the people of South Africa at the passing of Govan Mbeki.]
Mr. President, Long before Pakistan won independence in 1947,
the leaders of our freedom struggle denounced the repressive and discriminatory
laws enacted by the Smuts regime as "sinister” and a "relapse
to the prejudices and taboos of the dark ages." In another resolution
they declared: "The conscience of the world cannot turn a deaf ear
to the groans of the oppressed". Pakistan sponsored the inscription
of the item on Apartheid on the agenda of the UN General Assembly and extended
unstinting support for struggle of the South African people for human dignity,
equality and non-discrimination. I recall the historical position taken by
our nation not to seek credit but to emphasize that the cause we upheld
was - and is - righteous, founded in principles of justice and in the articles
of our faith. God says: "O humankind. We created you male and
female, and made you nations and tribes, that you may know one another.
Surely the noblest among you in the sight of Allah is the best in conduct."
[AI Quran: 49: 13] Prophet Mohammad (may peace be upon him) said:
"Neither a black person has superiority over a white person nor a white
person over a black person." The Pakistan delegation comes to this Conference
with pride in the faith of our people in human equality, and the commitment
of the founding fathers of our State to practice and promote equal rights
among people of different races and religions at the domestic as well as
international levels. That vision of ideas is embedded in our Constitution.
It forbids discrimination on grounds of race, religion, caste or sect [Articles
26 and 27 of Constitution]. "All citizens are equal before law and
are entitled to equal protection of law." [Article 25 (I) of the Constitution
of Pakistan]. "Every citizen shall have the right to
profess, practice and propagate his religion." [Art. 20 (a) of Constitution]. The Constitution imposes an obligation on
the State to "safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of minorities,
including their due representation in the Federal and Provincial services."
Affirmative action to implement that provision includes reserved seats and
weighted representation of minorities in Federal and Provincial Assemblies
and elected urban and rural Councils.
Ladies and gentlemen, Pakistan participated constructively in the
preparatory work for this Conference. We shall do the same here, confident
that under the wise and able leadership of the President, this conference
will achieve significant success. The sagacious contribution of Secretary
General Kofi Annan and the sincere endeavors of Human Rights High Commissioner,
Mary Robinson, will be essential ingredients for a consensus outcome on
ways and means to address and overcome the scourge of racism. Racism and racial discrimination were inventions
of the powerful. Their egocentric claims to superiority were self-serving
illusions, rooted in avarice and exploitation. Colonial powers took shelter
behind presumptuous slogans - "White man's burden", "Civilizing
Mission" and "Manifest Destiny” - to justify slavery, colonial
domination and exploitation. Indigenous populations of new continents were
subjected to slaughter and genocide. The past cannot be undone, but clearly the
scars of deep wounds will not heal with the passage of time alone. Nor will
verbal atonement suffice. A measure of restitution is necessary, through
concrete affirmative action to redress the economic, social and psychological
ravages suffered by victim communities. Even while rectifying the wrongs of the past,
the world community cannot be complacent about the present situation. Racism,
xenophobia and intolerance persist. Millions have perished in the genocide
in Rwanda, ethnic cleansing in Bosnia Herzegovina and in Kosovo. As we speak,
savage repression is taking place in several parts of the world. It is a sad commentary on the painful crawl
of human civilization that policies of domination, racial prejudice, xenophobia
and intolerance persist in our own time. Sadder still, politically motivated
propagandists, sometimes in scholarly garb, concoct irrational theories
to demonize people of other races and religions predicting, justifying and
indeed inciting vendettas by one human community against another.
Mr. President, Vilification of Islam, verging on racism,
is an extremely disturbing trend. A billion Muslims aloe outraged that their
religion of peace, with its liberal, humanist ideals, is deliberately defamed
and maligned by xenophobic lobbies. It is sad that the Jewish people who were
the victims of racism - the Holocaust - are themselves succumbing to false
rationales to justify the Israeli repression and discrimination against
Muslim and Arab peoples. An Israeli Prime Minister projected his country's
policy against the Palestinian people as a fight against “the threat of
Islamic terror groups not only to Israel (but to) all moderate regimes”. Projecting the Palestinian people's struggle
for self determination as terrorism is a deliberate, discriminatory and
unacceptable justification for the policies of blockade, assassinations,
collective punishment and settler colonization which are being imposed against
the Palestinian people. The Conference cannot but speak out on this issue. It is sad that, in our own region, this theme
of denigrating the struggle for self-determination as terrorism, and associating
terrorism with Islam, is being actively promoted to justify the on-going
brutal repression of the Kashmiri people. The effort by Indian publicists
to exploit prevalent prejudices cannot mask the fact that seventy-five thousand
Kashimiris have been killed in the last decade of their struggle for freedom.
It is clear that a solution for Kashmir will have to respond to the wishes
of the Kashmiri people, and that such a solution is essential to establish
normal relations between Pakistan and India.
Mr. President, During the preparations for this Conference,
the OIC members adopted two non-papers which outlined their concerns relating
to Palestine as well as Jammu and Kashmir and other issues of concern to
the Islamic countries. The OIC paper on Palestine has already been
submitted during the negotiations in Geneva. I wish to inform the Conference
of the Second OIC paper, whose text reads as follows: “We express our concern at the grave violations
of human rights in many parts of the world and express our determination
to work together to prevent their occurrence. The victims of human rights
violations in occupied Azerbaijan territories and in Jammu and Kashmir must
never be forgotten. We stress importance of full implementation
of the Dayton peace accords in Bosnia/Herzegovina and economic recovery
for the consolidation of peace and stability. We are deeply concerned about
the difficulties faced by the returnees and the fate of over 20,000 missing
persons and absence of functional central institutions."
Mr. President, A contemporary and ugly manifestation of racism
is the discrimination against non European migrants to the affluent countries.
Resisting the logic of free movement of goods, capital and services, some
industrialized States exclude immigrants on basis of race or national origin.
Political parties in some of these countries openly engage in virulent tirades
against Asian and African migrants. State authorities remain apathetic to
discrimination in wages, housing, and education, and even to incidents of
violence against migrants. Some States prohibit discrimination on paper
but do not act to prevent and punish violations. Their authorities abuse
anti-terrorism laws to detain immigrants claiming to possess "secret
evidence". Media in these countries promote prejudice and discrimination. Xenophobic political groups in some countries
openly proclaim and advocate discrimination and exclusion on basis of race
or religion. Muslim girls and women are frequent victims in education and
employment if they prefer to wear apparel appropriate to their own culture
and tradition. Paradoxically, some of these very countries
criticize emergent polities for systemic imperfections and absence of complete
equality among citizens. Ignoring the Biblical exhortation they behold the
mote in their brother' s eye but do not consider the beam in their own.
Mr. President, Pakistan hopes that the Declaration and Programme
of Action to be adopted by this Conference will reject imposition of concepts
and value systems of one civilization on others. We must instead encourage
harmony in diversity. The Vatican is to be commended for launching
the Interfaith Dialogue to overcome tile prejudices of the past and strive
for mutual understanding. Similarly laudable is Iranian President Syed
Mohammad Khatami's initiative for a "Dialogue among Civilizations". The world community will benefit by promoting
understanding and respect for all cultures and civilizations. It will inculcate
tolerance between individuals, groups and nations. This important conference provides an opportunity
to initiate further programmes and actions to comprehensively address and
overcome the scourges of racisms, xenophobia and related intolerance. Past crimes must be acknowledged and affirmative
action set in motion to repair the ravages inflicted on human communities.
To that end, Pakistan suggests that this Conference request the UN Secretary
General to appoint a group of eminent experts with a mandate to recommend
appropriate measures for redress and restitution. We must uphold the rights of indigenous peoples
and ethnic groups to retain and express their distinctive identities. The rights of migrant and expatriate communities
to maintain their cultural and religious identities must be forcefully affirmed. Poverty is the consequence of and also a justification
for racism. The elimination of racism can be most effectively advanced by
bridging the gap between the rich and the poor, within and across national
boundaries. This Conference must adopt recommendations for action at the
national and international level to promote equitable economic development
throughout the world on the basis of human solidarity. Globalization should
advance global development. National legislation must be adopted and effectively
implemented to suppress and eradicate racist ideologies and practices. The
sense of impunity for racist crimes evident in certain societies must be
eliminated through effective prosecution and swift retribution. Freedom
of speech must not be a license for propagation of racist prejudice or religious
intolerance. Finally, as President Mbeki said yesterday,
racism has always been an instrument for the exploitation and subjugation
of other peoples. A central pillar of the struggle against racism is to
enable peoples to exercise their right of self-determination. Experience
has made it evident that suppression of this right is no longer an acceptable
or wise option. A new international and political endeavour is requested
to inject deeper and wider content into the right of self-determination
in the modem era. We believe this conference can make a difference. We must act collectively to ensure action
at the global level. We must also commit us to take action at home.
If we do what we should, the world will be
a better place for our peoples and for our children. I thank you. n Reference: http://www.forisb.org/
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