Pakistan tells UN won't be "scapegoat" in Afghan war

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi says 27,000 Pakistanis have been killed since the launch of the US "war on terror," and that it is "galling for Pakistan to be blamed for the military or political stalemate in Afghanistan."

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, US, September 21, 2017.
Reuters

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, US, September 21, 2017.

Pakistan refuses to be a "scapegoat" for Afghanistan's bloodshed or to fight wars for others, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told the United Nations on Thursday.

Addressing the UN General Assembly, Abbasi did not explicitly criticise US President Donald Trump's new strategy in Afghanistan, but made clear his displeasure with the renewed onus on Pakistan.

"Having suffered and sacrificed so much due to our role in the global counterterrorism campaign, it is especially galling for Pakistan to be blamed for the military or political stalemate in Afghanistan," Abbasi said.

"We are not prepared to be anyone's scapegoat."

"What Pakistan is not prepared to do is to fight the Afghan war on Pakistan's soil. Nor can we endorse any failed strategy that will prolong and intensify the suffering of the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan and other regional countries," he said.

Abbasi said that 27,000 Pakistanis have been killed in militant attacks since the launch of the US "war on terror" in Afghanistan that followed the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Afghanistan has long been the scene of international intrigue and intervention, with the British and Russians jockeying for power during the 19th Century “Great Game,” and the United States helping Pakistan provide weapons and funding to Afghan rebels fighting Soviet forces in the 1980s.

Abbasi called for priority on eliminating militants, including from Daesh and Al Qaeda, in Afghanistan but ultimately a political solution with the Taliban.

US and Afghan officials have long accused Pakistan's intelligence services of playing a double-game and maintaining its historical ties with militants.

US forces tracked down and killed Osama bin Laden in 2011 in Abbottabad.

Trump, unveiling a new strategy last month, pledged to take a tougher line on Pakistan - making public what had long been private US frustrations.

Russia said it does not believe that Trump's new strategy on Afghanistan will lead to any significant positive changes in the country.

China also defended its ally, saying Pakistan was on the front line in the struggle against terrorism and had made "great sacrifices" and "important contributions" in the fight. Beijing also called upon the international community to fully recognise Pakistan's anti-terrorism efforts.

Trump has sent thousands more US troops into Afghanistan in a bid to defeat the Taliban, reversing his previous calls to end America's longest-ever war.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in his own speech to the United Nations appealed to Pakistan for dialogue, saying that the neighbours can work together to eliminate militancy.

Call for probe into "India's crimes in Kashmir"

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi also called on the international community on Thursday to start an international investigation into "India's crimes in Kashmir."

Addressing world leaders at the 72nd United Nations General Assembly, Abbasi said that Pakistan has acted with restraint but if India keeps venturing across the Line of Control (LoC) - the de facto border that separates parts of Kashmir held by both countries - "it will evoke a strong and matching response."

He also urged UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to appoint a special envoy on Kashmir.

"As India is unwilling to resume the peace process with Pakistan, we call on the Security Council to fulfill its obligation to secure the implementation of its own resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir."

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in full.

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