ISLAMABAD: President, Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to United Nations peacekeepers serving across the world, praising their dedication, professionalism and sacrifices on the occasion of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.
In his message on the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on Friday, the president reiterated Pakistan’s steadfast commitment to global peace and said that, at a time of growing global uncertainty and conflict, United Nations peacekeeping remained an important instrument for maintaining international peace and security. “Pakistan reaffirms its strong support for UN peacekeeping and expresses solidarity with all peacekeepers serving under the UN flag in pursuit of peace and stability across the world,” he said.
President Zardari said Pakistan joins the international community in paying tribute to the dedication, professionalism, and sacrifice of United Nations peacekeepers serving in difficult and often dangerous conditions across the world. “We honour the courage and commitment of the 183 Pakistani peacekeepers who laid down their lives in the service of international peace and security,” he said.
For more than six decades, the President said, Pakistan has remained among the leading troop-contributing countries to United Nations peacekeeping operations. “Over 270,000 Pakistani peacekeepers have served with distinction in 48 UN missions across four continents,” he said. He said Pakistani women peacekeepers were also playing an increasingly important role in these missions. “Their service reflects Pakistan’s abiding commitment to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter,” he said.
The President said Pakistan is also host to one of the oldest United Nations peacekeeping missions, the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). He said the continued presence and relevance of this mission reaffirm the responsibility of the international community to support a just and lasting resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
In many conflict-affected regions, he said, United Nations peacekeepers help protect civilians, support humanitarian assistance, and create conditions in which hospitals, schools, and basic public services can continue to function. “Their work brings stability and hope to communities affected by conflict and displacement.”
