Pakistan has called for action in response to rising violence and hate speech directly aimed at Pakistan’s military soldiers serving in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions.
Pakistani diplomat and an expert in political and decolonization affairs, Bilal Chaudhry, addressed the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and revealed that Pakistan has suffered the losses of seven peacekeepers this year, including six in a helicopter incident in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in March.
Furthermore, Bilal condemned the targeted attacks on the UN missions and soldiers, and demanded action against the culprits for committing these crimes.
Moreover, he underlined the importance of peacekeeping missions and stated that they are the most effective when they are part of a broad political strategy, which includes conflict prevention, resolution, and tackling core issues, using mediation, and peacekeeping tools to achieve long-term peace.
Bilal further revealed that Pakistan has deployed around 200,000 soldiers in these missions so far in order to serve humanity.
In addition, he noted that 168 Pakistani peacekeepers have fallen while ensuring peace and added that Pakistan is not only a long-standing contributor to the cause, but it also hosts one of the first peacekeeping missions, the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which monitors the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.