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Pakistan committed to UN peacekeeping: Nisar
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said that Pakistan’s long-standing commitment to UN peacekeeping is part of the country’s foreign policy, as we consider multilateralism and the United Nations as the best means of addressing the challenges.
He was talking to UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations Under Secretary General Herve Ladsous, who met him on Monday. The minister said that Pakistan attaches utmost importance to the basic principles of peacekeeping and would continue to strengthen the consensus around these principles in order to ensure continued success of UN peacekeeping.
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that Pakistan is currently the top military and police troops contributor to UN peacekeeping missions with more than 8000 personnel deployed in seven missions. As a leading troop contributor, Pakistan has a significant stake in the success of UN Peacekeeping, he said. He said the security forces of Pakistan have played a vital role in UN peacekeeping efforts all over the world and we will continue to meet our obligations as far as possible.
He said the experience gained by Pakistani personnel by working in the UN has served them in good stead and they are better able to handle diverse and difficult conflict and post-conflict situations after coming back. Mr. Ladsous lauded Pakistan’s long and solid contribution to the UN peacekeeping. He said that more than 150,000 Pakistani military and police personnel have served in the UN peacekeeping assignments during the last five decades and have always been found disciplined and competent in combating organized crime and corruption. He also requested the Minister for looking into the possibility of sending Pakistani women police personnel to UN peacekeeping Missions. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that right now we are having problems at home and it would not be possible to spare the police personnel for UN assignments but the policy will be revised as soon as situation improves. He, however, said that presence of military and civil armed forces at the UN peacekeeping missions would be maintained at the previous level.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk