Pakistan extends unconditional support to Sri Lanka’s domestic agenda

Saturday, 3 October 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Zamir Akram said Pakistan, as a longstanding and reliable friend, would unconditionally support Sri Lanka in pursuing its domestic agenda.

Delivering a statement to the 30th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Wednesday after the High Commissioner for Human Rights presented the report of the OHCHR investigation on Sri Lanka, Ambassador Akram said Pakistan had always supported Sri Lanka in its efforts to overcome terrorist and separatist elements over the last 30 years.

“We believe that after the end of struggle against terrorism, the people of Sri Lanka deserve the support and assistance of the international community to rebuild their country,” he said.

Despite the challenges of the last three decades, Sri Lanka has remained a free and democratic society, he pointed out.

The envoy commented that those who had been critical of Sri Lanka’s effort to overcome terrorism and separatism funded from abroad would do well to look at their own track record on the so-called war on terror.

“The High Commissioner should also demonstrate the same alacrity that he has demonstrated regarding Sri Lanka to other cases of torture and violence in their course of countering terrorism by several major powers.”

Akram said that within the Human Rights Council Pakistan had always maintained that if needed recourse was to be made to a country-specific resolution to address the human rights situation, the only choice is to pursue a resolution acceptable by the country concerned.

“We welcome the fact that after several years this approach has been accepted by the sponsors of the resolution on Sri Lanka,” he said.

The representative pointed out that as a sovereign and proud nation, Sri Lanka had the right to chart its own course in pursuing its domestic agenda.

“As a longstanding and reliable friend of Sri Lanka, Pakistan will continue to extend its unconditional support,” he said.