Pakistan’s new Ambassador to the United Nations Dr Maleeha Lodhi has urged UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to play a role in promoting peace and stability in South Asia, after presenting her credentials to the world body chief on Tuesday.
In a meeting that followed the brief ceremony, the Pakistan envoy told the secretary-general that efforts for peace should be fast-tracked. She also informed him that Pakistan did not want to be distracted from its efforts on its Western border and its law enforcement campaign to combat militancy by the fraught situation on the Line of Control in Kashmir and the working boundary with India.
Ambassador Lodhi underscored the need for the role and mandate of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to be strengthened and expanded. It was necessary to do this to prevent ceasefire violations at the LoC and the working boundary, she said.
The UN Secretary-General said he wanted to see a resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan, while also appreciating Pakistan’s law enforcement efforts aimed at countering militancy.