After decades of strong growth, the world economy has reached a plateau. Despite this adverse international economic environment, my government has, in three short years, moved the country towards robust growth. We have fully integrated the 2030 Development Agenda into our own economic and social strategy. This rests on our conviction that people are the true wealth of our nation and that it is human development, which will determine our future destiny.
Our priority goal of economic development requires internal peace and stability. My country has been the principal victim of terrorism, including that supported, sponsored and financed from abroad.
We will not allow externally-sponsored terrorism and threats of destabilisation to cause turbulence in Pakistan.
Our comprehensive strategy of law enforcement and targeted military operations has produced remarkable results and enabled Pakistan to turn the tide against terrorism.
Pakistan's Zarb-e-Azb Operation is the largest, most robust and most successful anti-terrorism campaign anywhere in the world, deploying 200,000 of our security forces. Our comprehensive National Action Plan has the complete endorsement of our people and our Parliament as well as our security forces, all of whom have made heroic sacrifices to defeat terrorism. Terrorism, however, is now a global phenomenon, which must be addressed comprehensively and in all its forms, including state terrorism.
The international community must coordinate its efforts to accomplish this. These efforts should be taken collectively and not unilaterally by the passage of any laws with extraterritorial application targeted against certain countries.
We will not win the fight against terrorism and violent extremism so long as we do not address their root causes. These lie in poverty and ignorance, political and social injustice and oppression, foreign intervention and occupation and denial of the legitimate rights of peoples and nations, especially the right to self-determination.
Confrontation should not be our destiny in South Asia. Pakistan wants peace with India. I have gone the extra mile to achieve this, repeatedly offering a dialogue to address all outstanding issues. But India has posed unacceptable preconditions to engage in a dialogue. Let us be clear: talks are no favour to Pakistan. Talks are in the interest of both countries. They are essential to resolve our differences, especially the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, and to avert the danger of any escalation.
Peace and normalisation between Pakistan and India cannot be achieved without a resolution of the Kashmir dispute. This is an objective evaluation, not a partisan position.
Steps should be taken by the United Nations to de-militarise Jammu and Kashmir and undertake consultations with India, Pakistan and the true representatives of the Kashmiri people to implement the resolutions of the Security Council.
Edited excerpts from Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's speech at the UN General Assembly in New York on September 21
Disclaimer: These are personal views of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of www.business-standard.com or the Business Standard newspaper
