'India Has Sought To De-Legitimize The Kashmiri Freedom Struggle'

Address by General Pervez Musharraf at the 57th Session of the UN GeneralAssembly:

Mr President, Mr Secretary-General, Ladies and Gentlemen!

I extend to you, Mr President, my felicitations on your election. I alsocongratulate your predecessor, Dr.Seung-Soo Han, for his able stewardship of thepreceding session of the General Assembly.

We commend Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his commitment and dedicatedefforts in the pursuit of the Charter's purposes and principles.

I congratulate Switzerland and East Timor on their admission to membership ofthe United Nations.

Mr President,

Last year," this Assembly met under the shadow of the terrorist attackson New York, our host city. The horror, of that day galvanized the internationalcommunity to combat this modern day evil, which threatens to destabilize oursocieties.

Pakistan is in the forefront of the fight against terrorism. We have mademajor sacrifices in this war. We have interdicted infiltration by Al-Qaeda intoPakistan. We have arrested and deported foreign suspects found on our territory.We are determined not to allow anyone to use our soil for terrorist acts insideor outside Pakistan.

However, Mr President, unfortunately some quarters are utilizing the waragainst terrorism as a vehicle to spread hatred against Islam and Muslims.Terrorism has no creed, nor a religion. In our globalizing world, religious andcultural diversity should, be a vehicle for complementary creativity anddynamism, not the rationale for a new ideological or political confrontation. Asustained dialogue between the Islamic and Western nations is essential toremove the veil of ignorance and prejudice and to promote harmony andcooperation. As a first step, I propose that the General Assembly consider theadoption of a Declaration on Religious and Cultural Understanding, Harmony andCooperation.

Mr President, there is need to address the root causes of terrorism. It isnot religion, which impels a terrorist act; it is often a sense of frustrationand powerlessness to redress persistent injustice. When a people, right toself-determination and freedom are brutally suppressed by foreign occupation;they can be expected to resist this by all means at their disposal. Terroristattacks must be condemned. But acts of terrorism by individuals or groups cannotbe the justification to outlaw the just struggle of a people forself-determination and liberation from colonial or foreign occupation. Nor canit justify state terrorism.

Misusing the rationale of war against terrorism, India has sought tode-legitimize the Kashmiri freedom struggle, tarnish Pakistan with the brush ofterrorism and drive a wedge between it and its coalition partners. Boasting ofits coercive capability, India has deployed about a million troops in battleformation against Pakistan. Such threatening and aggressive posturing will notresolve disputes. We cannot be coerced or frightened into compromising ourprincipled position on Kashmir.

The conflict in occupied Kashmir is being waged by the Kashmiris. No amountof external assistance could have inspired the Kashmiri people to sacrifice thelives of 80,000 of their youth and to sustain their struggle for decades againstIndia's occupation army.

India's planned elections in Kashmir will once again be rigged. Suchelections, under Indian occupation, will not help peace; they may set it back.The people of Jammu & Kashmir must be allowed to exercise their right todetermine their own future in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UNSecurity Council.

Despite India's provocations and threats over the past year, Pakistan hasacted with restraint and responsibility. We have advanced several peaceproposals. They have been spurned by India. Let me declare from this rostrum:Pakistan will not start a conflict with India. But if war is thrust upon us weshall exercise our right to self-defense fully and effectively.

With nuclear weapons now in the possession of both countries, it is smallwonder that people describe South Asia as "the most dangerous place onEarth." Today, peace in South Asia is hostage to one accident, one act ofterrorism, one strategic miscalculation by India.

In this dangerous situation, crisis management cannot afford to become asubstitute for conflict resolution. The steps required to avoid a conflict andadvance peace are clear:

Mutual withdrawal of forward deployed forces by both States;

Observance of a cease-fire along the Line of Control in Kashmir; and

Cessation of India's state terrorism against the Kashmiri people.

Simultaneously, a dialogue must be resumed between India and Pakistan. Thestructure for such a dialogue was agreed between Prime Minister Vajpayee andmyself at Agra. The Kashmiris should be fully associated with the dialogue onKashmir and should be allowed to travel freely to Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.

To ensure sustainable peace and stability in South Asia, a Kashmir solutionshould be accompanied by agreed measures for nuclear restraint and aconventional arms balance between India and Pakistan. India's ongoing massivemilitary build up reflects its known desire for domination over South Asia andthe Indian Ocean. In the interest of regional and global stability, this must bediscouraged.

Mr President,

India's belligerence also reflects the chauvinistic ideology of the Hinduextremist parties and organizations. Rising Hindu fanaticism in India hastargeted Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and even the even the scheduled casteHindus. Last February, an estimated 2000 innocent Muslims were massacred inGujrat with the complicity of BJP State leaders. There must be accountabilityfor this massacre. The international community must act to oppose Hinduextremism with the same determination it displayed in combating terrorism,religious bigotry, ethnic cleansing and fascist tendencies elsewhere.

Even as Hindu fundamentalism is rising in India, Pakistan is waging asuccessful struggle to restore its traditions of a tolerant Islam. We are actingvigorously to eradicate the sad legacy of the Afghanistan war: religiousextremism, drugs and guns.

We are determined to transform into reality the vision of our FoundingFather, the Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah: for a progressive, modern,democratic, Islamic State. We wish to play a constructive role in promotingpeace and prosperity in South Asia, Central Asia and the Gulf region.

In three short years, my government has laid the foundations for sustainabledevelopment and sustainable democracy in Pakistan.

We have:

Empowered the people by devolving decisionmaking to the grassroots;

Improved human rights, virtually eliminated exploitive child labor andempowered women;

We have rationalized economic policies and, despite internal and externalshocks, set Pakistan on the path of sustained growth.

Pakistan has become the first country to set up a Human Development Fund withthe collaboration of UNDP and a National Volunteers Corps for the achievement ofthe Millennium goals of poverty alleviation and Human development

In 30 days, we will hold national and provincial elections, completing theprocess of restoring democracy in Pakistan.

Mr President,

We are happy with the positive changes in Afghanistan, after two decades ofconflict. We fully support President Hamid Karzai. We appreciate the efforts ofthe Secretary-General and his Special Representative, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, tobring hope and peace to the long-suffering Afghan people. We believe thatfaithful implementation of the Bonn process and the Tokyo commitments isessential for success. Ensuring credible security in Kabul and other centersthrough an expanded international presence is paramount. This was brought homeby the attempt, a few days ago, to assassinate President Karzai. Reconstructionof Afghanistan through early release of funds agreed in the Tokyo commitment isessential for strengthening the central government as well as for peace andsecurity in Afghanistan.

The international community must urgently revive the Middle East peaceprocess to realize a comprehensive and just peace on the basis of theresolutions of the Security Council and the principle of land for peace.

Pakistan supports the full and faithful implementation of all SecurityCouncil Resolutions.

Mr President,

In our globalizing yet divided world, the most important war we must fight isthe war against poverty. The objectives of this "war" have beenidentified - at the Millennium Summit, in Doha, Monterrey and Johannesburg. Wemust implement the commitments made in an integrated and coherent manner.

A pernicious aspect of the international Banking system is the stashing away,in secret accounts, of illegally acquired money by corrupt elite from developingto developed countries. An international regime to interdict and returnillegally acquired wealth to developing countries is indispensable for thesuccess of a North-South partnership and will make a genuine contribution toreduction of corruption in developing countries and to poverty alleviation.

Mr President,

Despite current differences among governments, people both from rich and poornations, are beginning to embrace universal values and common goals: avoidingwar; ending poverty, hunger, disease, discrimination and human rightsviolations; promoting democracy; sharing technology; creating decent work forall; and protecting the environment.

We must capture this growing spirit of global humanism to advance the questfor global prosperity and universal peace. This can be accomplished only at andby the United Nations. This is the central purpose, the reason for theexistence, of this Organization.

Our decisions and actions today will shape events of the future. We must ridourselves of forces of intolerance and radicalism. We have to create a saferworld for our future generations - a world of peace and conciliation, not one ofconflict and tension.

I thank you, Mr President.