September 27, 2002
Emboldened by its election to the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member, Pakistan Sunday said it provided Islamabad an opportunity to raise the Kashmir at an "appropriate time". "The Kashmir issue must be raised at Security Council at an appropriate time and in a way that could result in success," Pakistan's permanent envoy to the United Nations Munir Akram told NNI news agency.
Referring to Pakistan's election to the Security Council in 1994 when it failed to table any resolution on Kashmir, he said "it is our top priority, and we have to handle it in a way that we do not damage its cause. We have to take it up at the right time, in a right way." "The election to the Security Council will enable us participate in the consideration and decisions relating to major issues of peace and security in the current international situation," he told the news agency.
This will also help it preserve the country's peace and security, beside securing economic and social benefits, he added. "Our leverage with major players of the international field will increase", he added. "We will be able to utilize the Security Council to ensure the world is aware of our problem, and that it acts on our problems as soon as possible," Akram said.
Asked whether Pakistan would work for revocation of the 1996 order and bring the Kashmir issue as a permanent agenda item of the Security Council, he said "We certainly will have to look into the depth of the procedure to see what is required to be done; I do not want to answer that question."
Before 1996, the Kashmir issue was a permanent agenda item of the Security Council but later the Council revoked its decision and made it a temporary agenda item. Pakistan applies every year in February for its inclusion in the annual agenda.
Asked whether Pakistan will support the US bid to attack Iraq at the Security Council level, Akram said "We are still three months away, we will become member of Security Council in January 2003. What we have said is that Pakistan has only agreed in principle that all resolutions of the Security Council should be implemented and that is our position."
He said the new membership would add a lot of responsibility and hard work for the Pakistan delegation. "Pakistan has had been seeking an important role to play; and we are playing a very constructive role in peacekeeping around the world, " he added.
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