ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said as Pakistan had a vital interest in a peaceful, stable, united and prosperous Afghanistan, it would enable both countries to serve as a bridge connecting Central Asia and the Arabian Sea – and beyond.
“There are numerous “shovel-ready” projects awaiting peace in Afghanistan, such as the TAPI gas pipeline from Turkmenistan, the CASA-1000 electricity grid from Tajikistan and the railway connecting Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan,” he added.
The foreign minister was addressing through video-link the forum of Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the third Charter organ of the United Nations – on its 75th anniversary.
He further said that a just solution was essential for the Jammu and Kashmir dispute on the basis of the UN Charter, Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
“Positive steps reversing the cause of current tensions can open the way for dialogue and trade,” the foreign minister remarked.
He said as it was said that war was conceived “in the minds of men”. “Likewise, the desire for peace and cooperation can also emerge from the minds of men and women who, if inspired by reason, and aware of the momentous global challenges confronting humanity, cannot but opt for international cooperation rather than rivalry and confrontation,” he added.
The foreign minister said that the debates and discussions of the Economic and Social Council were an essential vehicle to promote such recognition of the imperative of cooperation to enable humanity build a shared future of peace and prosperity.
He said as the UN Charter had prescribed equal priority to peace and development, one cannot be realized without the other. “The Economic and Social Council is mandated, under the Charter, to promote “better standards of life in larger freedoms” through international economic cooperation,” he added.
The foreign minister said today ECOSOC’s role had become even more critical than it was 75 years ago. “The world is facing an unprecedented triple crisis – the COVID-19 pandemic, the worst economic recession in a century, and a looming climate and environmental calamity,” he added.
“The global response to this triple crisis must be simultaneous and synergetic. This coherent and coordinated response can be best promoted within the framework of the Economic and Social Council which sits at the apex of the UN system of Specialized Agencies, autonomous organizations and subsidiary bodies,” the foreign minister stressed.

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