Urging the international community to take notice of incitement against billions of Muslims of the world, President Asif Zardari on Tuesday stressed the need to criminalize actions that destroy the peace of the world and endanger world security by misusing freedom of expression.
Addressing the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly, President Zardari urged the UN member states to immediately address the concerns of the world’s Muslims and the widening rift to enable the comity of nations to be one again.
Zardari also called for reform of the United Nation. “The UN system must become more democratic and more accountable. Reform should be based on consensus and democratic principles,” he said.
“Being a democratic country, we believe that legitimate aspirations of any people should be accommodated peacefully and in a manner consistent with sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity,” he said.
The president said that there are a lot of questions that are asked of Pakistan. “I am not here to answer questions about Pakistan. The people of Pakistan have already answered them. The politicians of Pakistan have answered them. The soldiers of Pakistan have answered them. We have lost over 7,000 Pakistani soldiers and policemen, and over 37,000 civilians.
We have lost our Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti and my friend Salmaan Taseer to the mindset of extremism. And I need not remind my friends here today, that I bear a personal scar,” he said, adding that terrorism and extremism have destroyed human lives, torn social fabric, and devastated the economy.
President Zardari also criticized the international community for supporting dictatorships in Pakistan, which he said were responsible for suffocating and throttling Pakistan, the state institutions, and democracy.
“I remember the judicial execution of Pakistan’s first elected leader, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. I remember the jailing of Pakistan’s elected leaders. I remember the twelve years I, myself spent in prison. And I remember the billions provided by the international community to support those dictatorships. My country, its social fabric, its very character has been altered. Our condition today is a product of dictatorships,” he said.
Zardari said the growing regional pivot in Pakistan’s foreign policy is a reflection of his government’s democratic policy-making. “In engaging with our region, we are changing the future. In China our strategic partnership is growing from strength to strength. In Afghanistan, we have begun to engage and deepen our friendship with the entire range of the Afghan political spectrum. We believe that a sovereign, stable and secure Afghanistan is good for the Afghan people. And what is good for the Afghan people is good for Pakistan,” he said.
The president also stressed upon Pakistan’s relations with India. “Our principled position on territorial disputes remains a bedrock of our foreign policy. We will continue to support the right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to peacefully choose their destiny in accordance with the UN Security Council’s long-standing resolutions on this matter. Kashmir remains a symbol of the failures, rather than strengths of the UN system. We feel that resolution of these issues can only be arrived in an environment of cooperation,” he said.
President Zardari thanked the European Union for recognizing the value of trade to Pakistan. “We seek trade, rather than aid. By granting trade concession to Pakistan, the EU has sent a positive message. The trade concessions will help us revive the economy and fight terrorism,” he said.
Its a shame that Pakistan is represented in the UN by a convicted felon and a thug. I am sure the World leaders are wondering if this is the best Pakistan can produce. No wonder Pakistan has no credibility and is the laughing stock of the world. Sad.
let me tell you what we thought of him here, someone who is a weak leader who cannot stand up to the mobs in his streets and someone who cannot protect the minorities in his own country but is trying to tell us that we need to change our constitution that keeps us all together in order to avoid offending a religion that cannot even keep one country together.
Yes exactly I feel same that what audience would have though about us when kiayni or Zardari like duffers represent us in foreign platforms.These are the two guys who are running Pakistan and representation of millions of Pakistanis
Agree with you all including the American.
But lets not forget that he is the byproduct of National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) put in place with the support of US.
This was primarily designed to keep Gen Musharaf in place and Benazir serving as Prime Minster under him. But nature wanted it otherwise.
Zardaree was never a leader but made one to serve and further US designs and deisres.
NRO in south Africa brought pardon to individuals but they were not to become active in politics but here they have.
a religion that cannot take ridicule and insults is a weak religion and its followers even weaker, and i think that is proven by the state of muslim world
agreed have no doubt it that this moment Islam is being represented as scary and scared religion by Islamic groups
Its sad that how ignorant even the presidents of muslim countries are to ask for such a thing when they were told earlier by the US president that it will be violation of their constitution to do something like this
IGNORANT ARE THE ONES WHO CAN NOT STAND TO MIGHTIES AND DECLARE ANY OPPOSITE COMMENT ON HOLOCAUST AS LEGAL O FENCE.THICK SKINS ARE THOSE WHO GO TOPLESS AT PUBLIC PLACE ARE BEING CHASED AND PHOTOGRAPHED AND THEN HAVE FACE TO CONTEST LEGALLY WHERE HAS GONE THE RIGHT OF EXPRESSION.HIGHEST TRUTHS ARE DILUTED AND MOCKED WHEN IT COMES HISTORICAL AND RELIGIOUS DESIGNS.
when you bark in CAPS people wont be able to hear what you are saying, but if like some other ignorants you think you can question Holocaust in the US you are proving your ignorance. By law you cannot ban that in the US even though americans will be offended but they wont kill you for being ignorant, just like this video that you are so upset about, people in the US dont support that video. However this is something very hard for people who are living in dark ages while using the modernity that you have been blessed by the hard work of west.
Every nation, society, and culture has different level of freedom of expression the main thing is to develop the tolerance level which is lack in Pakistani and monarchical Islamic societies as rulers are weak and through proper campaign they control the people and groups to develop low tolerance level for others.So Liberal or modern doesn't mean one become nude or go for western life style but adaptability of new trends accommodating attitude and tolerance level of any nation are indicator of their freedom of expressions and Pakistanis have been failed in test which was prescribed to us 1400 years before.
Its amazing that president of a corrupt and failed state, that cannot even provide education and basic health care to its citizens, is yelling at another country to change its constitution so that emotionally unstable Muslims dont kill each other. First thing this president should focus on is to stop acting like a puppet of terrorists in his own country and prevent hate speech coming out of his own cabinet
can he control hate speech from his own cabinet before he start giving lecture on free speech to others?
President Zardari did a wonderful job by touching the key issues in General Assembly. He called for an action against the hate speech and it is the dire need of the time. Hate speech should be declared a crime for it provides a solid excuse to extremist entities to attack and kill innocent people. President Zardari is the only leader who raised voice against these issues that reflects the sentiments of Muslim Ummah across the world. Religious harmony is the need of hour to end militancy and extremism. We should be proud of our president for representing 1.5 billion Muslims in the world
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