Ban Ki-moon suggests need to cut military budgets for lasting peace
“Mend fences with your neighbours and focus on people” is what the United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-moon asked Pakistan to do a day before the symbolic occasion of August 14, the day it celebrates to mark its independence. Addressing an audience that included the Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani, Ki-moon’s remarks were aimed at diffusing the recent tensions that have crept up between India and Pakistan. The remarks of the UN secretary general were welcome as he went on to state that the two countries needed to bring down their defence expenditure to improve the livelihood of their citizens. Civil and military hawks on both sides continue to point the finger at each other for the growing defence budgets, it is now time that they begin to point the finger at themselves for the escalation of the arms race, which included India launching its first aircraft carrier only last week.
Addressing the inauguration of the Centre for International Peace and Stability at the army-run National University of Science and Technology on Tuesday, Ban Ki-moon said, “Security and development should go hand in hand. In order to achieve lasting stability, people need schools for their children, they need food on their tables, and they need to have hope in their lives.” He also called for the need to “reach out and building bridges with one’s neighbours”. The obvious reference points were India and Afghanistan. The comments coincided with the debate in the country over how to deal with the twin menace of extremism and terrorism. The gist of his message was that the government should reset its priorities by diverting resources away from the defence sector and into “education and energy, empowerment and good jobs”.
It is important to note that all expenditures were cut by 30 percent this year, except the defence and debt servicing. He also insisted that the UN held that drone strikes were subject to international law. Later, he met with the Advisor on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz at the Foreign Office about Pakistan’s role in bringing peace to Afghanistan. While the basic thrust of Ban’s message is important, it is also import for him to address India over the issues. The current tensions on the LoC could have been avoided with the cooperation of both countries. Moreover, it must be remembered that Pakistan has always advocated for the UN to mediate outstanding issues between India and Pakistan, while India has resisted. It would be a huge step towards long standing peace if Ban Ki-moon was able to convince India to accept UN mediation. Without such, all talk shall remain just that.
