PM raises issues of Islamophobia, extremism at SCO moot

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday called for global coordinated efforts to combat adverse impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and to fight with its emerging second wave.

Addressing the 20th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of State (SCO-CHS) through video link, he also called for steadfastly opposing extremist and xenophobic tendencies, including racist ideologies, inspired by neo-Nazism and Islamophobia.

“W must resolutely oppose divisive policies based on prejudice and discrimination and focus on building interfaith and cross-cultural bridges,” he emphasised, stressing faithful implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions to settle the outstanding issues.

He contended that the unilateral and illegal measures to change the status of disputed territories in violation of UN Security Council resolutions run counter to this objective and adversely affect the regional environment. Such measures must be condemned and opposed resolutely for being in violation of the SCO Charter and its well-established principles of inter-state relations.

The PM said Pakistan, in coordination with China, was working to develop a vaccine for the virus. “At a time, when the world is bereft of global vision and shared solutions, SCO has called for effective multilateralism with the UN, playing a central coordinating role,” he noted.

He said Pakistan also deeply appreciates China’s effective handling of the virus and also the material and technical assistance extended by China to others, including Pakistan and China and Pakistan are also collaborating in vaccine development, with phase three trials successfully underway.

“On its part, Pakistan is open to sharing its own experience in effectively combating the pandemic and keeping the total cases and fatalities relatively low. Our calibrated policy of ‘smart lockdowns’ and financial support to the most vulnerable segments of society prevented rapid community spread, protected the poorest from the worst fallouts of the lockdown and helped stabilize the economy. Our aim has been to save people from dying from the virus, and save people from dying from hunger,” he noted. The PM said that globally, the international community has taken some welcome steps to mitigate the adverse effects of Covid-19 but he added much more needs to be done – particularly for the poor who are hit the hardest, both in rich and poor nations.

“In this spirit, I proposed a ‘Global Initiative for Debt Relief’ to address debt vulnerabilities of the developing nations and to help create fiscal space for them to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic and achieve sustainable development. We welcome measures taken from G20 and the International Financial Institutions to help developing countries, in particular Least Developed Countries, to face economic challenges posed by the pandemic. However, further steps are needed to help improve liquidity in developing countries and restore growth,” he said.

He explained that the foreign policy goals of his government are in sync with SCO vision of regional connectivity and economic integration: SCO is destined to play a pivotal role in the emerging confluence between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

“Pakistan’s geographical location provides it an ideal opportunity to crystallise the benefits accrued from this process. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of BRI, is poised to play a vital part in this regard,” he pointed out.

The prime minister noted that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was established to ensure security and maintain stability across the vast Eurasian continent, join forces to counter emerging challenges and threats, and enhance trade as well as cultural cooperation. The SCO stands for strict observance of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter such as equality and sovereignty of states, respect for territorial integrity, sanctity of borders, non-aggression, non-use or threat of force, and peoples’ right for self-determination.

“On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, we strongly support the central role of the United Nations in maintaining international peace and security and advancing global sustainable development. We stress the importance of faithfully implementing UN Security Council resolutions for peaceful resolution of outstanding disputes to create an environment of stability and cooperation. Unilateral and illegal measures to change the status of disputed territories in violation of UN Security Council resolutions run counter to this objective and adversely affect the regional environment. Such measures must be condemned and opposed resolutely for being in violation of the SCO Charter and its well-established principles of inter-state relations,” he said.

The PM said that he had consistently stressed that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and that a negotiated political settlement is the best way forward. As a shared responsibility, Pakistan has steadfastly supported the Afghan-led and the Afghan-owned peace process and our positive contribution facilitated the US-Taliban peace agreement.

The Afghan parties must seize this historic opportunity, he noted, work together constructively, and secure an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement through Intra-Afghan negotiations.

Reduction in violence is absolutely imperative, which will help strengthen the momentum of recent positive developments.

“We must also remain mindful of the challenges ahead, especially the role of ‘spoilers’ - within and outside -who do not want peace and stability to return to Afghanistan. Return of Afghan refugees to their homeland with dignity and honour should be an essential part of the peace negotiations. While on the Iranian nuclear issue, we share SCO’s call for effective implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. We join our SCO partners in focusing on the prevention of an arms race in outer space and International Information Security. The overarching goal of the international security architecture should be the promotion of equal and undiminished security of all states,” he said.

“We welcome the emphasis by SCO members on data security. In this regard, we strongly support China’s global digital data security initiative. We reiterate our strong support for coordinating our efforts at the relevant multilateral fora to counter the growing menace of narcotic drugs,” he added.

He noted that Pakistan has been at the forefront of the struggle against terrorism. Our resolve to continue this fight remains undeterred. “We believe it is wrong to use terrorism-related allegations as a political tool to malign and target any country, religion or race. It is critical to address the scourge of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism perpetrated against people living under foreign occupation in disputed territories,” he said.

“As we commemorate the 75th anniversary of defeat of Nazism and fascism during the Second World War, we must learn lessons from history and work to ensure against the resurgence of such destructive ideologies.

We must also continue to steadfastly oppose extremist and xenophobic tendencies, including racist ideologies inspired by neo-Nazism and Islamophobia. We must resolutely oppose divisive policies based on prejudice and discrimination and focus on building interfaith and cross-cultural bridges,” he emphasised.

He contended that it was imperative that wilful provocations and incitement to hate, especially on religious grounds, were universally outlawed. “Deliberately insulting religions and sacred religious symbols provokes hatred and violent extremism leading to further polarisation and fragmentation of society. Therefore, SCO member states should continue to call for mutual respect of all religions and beliefs and for fostering a culture of peace, fraternity and harmony,” he noted.

The prime minister said, “My government is particularly focused on providing relief to the poor segments of society. We have learned valuable lessons from China, which has lifted 700 million people out of poverty. In this context, we thank all members for supporting our initiative for establishment of an SCO Special Working Group on Poverty Alleviation. We must pool our efforts to fight the threat posed by climate change. In all our efforts, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities remains paramount.

“It is important that all commitments made in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change are fulfilled, in particular the commitment to mobilise $100 billion annually as climate finance”.

On its part, he noted Pakistan is making renewed efforts to mitigate adverse effects of climate change. We have launched an ‘Ecosystem Restoration Initiative’, which includes the planting of 10 billion trees over the next three years. “Fighting corruption and economic crimes is another important area of focus for my government. We welcome SCO’s emphasis on strengthening international cooperation in fighting these menaces. We must firmly oppose illicit financial flows from developing countries, which impoverish these nations and severely retard their development endeavours,” he said.

He reiterated his call that efforts must be made to bring back the stolen wealth to enable the affected nations realise their legitimate aspirations for development and a hopeful future. “I would also like to express Pakistan’s gratification on becoming a member of the SCO Youth Council. With sixty-five per cent of our population under 30 years of age, Pakistan highly values cooperation in tapping the immense potential of our youth and involving them in the socio-economic uplift of our societies. I would like to make six specific proposals aimed at galvanizing our mutually-beneficial, result-oriented efforts through SCO’s platform:

First, we should create an SCO knowledge-bank of best practices to fight COVID-19 in order to guide us through the second wave and beyond.

Second, we should work out a strategy and an SCO Action Plan to mitigate the adverse economic impact of Covid-19 pandemic in the short, medium and long-term, including by prioritising an SCO unified framework for emergency preparedness developed in consultation with the WHO.

Third, we should take a united stand that the Covid-19 vaccine must be viewed as a “global public good”, affordable and accessible to all.

Fourth, we should call for more measures by G20 to meet common challenges like the climate change, deteriorating environment, widening inequality within and among nations, poverty, disease, hunger and sustainable development. This should include measures to stop financial outflows from developing countries to off-shore bank accounts in rich countries.

Fifth, we should formulate a multi-year SCO Youth Strategy with a focus on building partnerships among educational institutions.

Sixth, we should develop SCO Partnership for Technology offering scholarships and exchange programmes for youth in the scientific field.