Benaulim, Goa: Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Friday remembered his mother and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination at the hands of “terrorists” as he addressed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers Meeting in Goa.
“The collective security of our peoples is our joint responsibility. Terrorism continues to threaten global security. Let’s not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring,” he said.
This is the first such visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to India in the last 12 years. It was in 2011 when Hina Rabbani Khar visited India as the then-foreign minister of Pakistan.
This is the first time Pakistan is attending an SCO event in person. Last month, at the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting hosted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Pakistan’s Malik Ahmed Khan, Special Advisor to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, attended it virtually.
“When I speak on this topic, I do so not only as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan whose people have suffered the most in terms of number of attacks and number of casualties. I also speak as the son whose mother was assassinated at the hands of terrorists. I feel the pain of this loss, empathise with victims across the world a way most can’t,” Bilawal said.
He added: “I and my country are firmly committed to be part of regional and global efforts for eradicating this menace. This requires not only a comprehensive approach but also a collective approach. It demands we address the root causes as well as the threats posed by specific groups. It requires that we let this challenge unite us to fight it rather than divide us to become its victim. Our success requires us to isolate this issue from geo-political partisanship.”
Need 'Practical And Pragmatic' Solutions To Eliminate Terrorism: Bilawal Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto was killed in December 2007 by a 15-year-old suicide bomber, Bilal, during an election rally in Rawalpindi.
Bilawal said countries need to find “practical and pragmatic” solutions to eliminate terrorism.
“Practical, pragmatic solutions exist for us to put an end to this chapter once and for all. We must stop conflating non-state actors with state actors. Condemn all forms of terrorism including state-sponsored terrorism,” he added.
The Pakistani foreign minister stressed that this is the reason why the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) of the SCO, popularly called SCO RATS, needs to be further strengthened.
“Given that many SCO members confront the menace of terrorism, often from the same terrorist groups, the SCO RATS needs to be further strengthened to effectively address the growing threats to peace and security in the SCO space,” Zardari added.
This came after External Affairs Minister Jaishankar spoke about cross-border terrorism and tackling the “menace” of terrorism during his opening remarks at the SCO conference.
‘Afghanistan Presents New Challenges As Well As Opportunities’
According to Bilawal, Afghanistan under the Taliban poses several challenges but it also presents opportunities if all countries engage with them.
“The situation in Afghanistan presents new challenges as well as opportunities. We continue to call the international community to meaningfully engage with the Interim Afghan Government to better understand and influence the course of events. After being the playground for great powers, time and time again, we owe it to the people of Afghanistan to not repeat the mistakes of the past,” he said.
He added that the united international community must continue “to urge the Afghan authorities to adopt universally-accepted principles of political inclusivity, and respecting the rights of all Afghans, including girls’ right to education”.
The minister also sent a message to the Taliban government in Afghanistan, saying the country should not become a hub of terrorism again.
“As the country that will be the first but not the last to suffer the consequences, Pakistan calls on the Interim Afghan Authorities to uphold their commitments on not allowing the use of Afghan soil for terrorism. It also calls on the international community to work towards addressing these security concerns to unlock the true potential of not only Afghanistan but the region as a whole,” he added.
He also said: “A peaceful and stable Afghanistan is a key not only to regional integration and economic cooperation but also to global peace and stability. We believe the SCO Afghanistan Contact Group can play a role in coordinating practical cooperation with Afghanistan.”