ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on International Day of Peace said that lasting peace resolutions to conflicts can only be achieved through “dialogue, diplomacy, justice and full respect for international law,” stating that this year’s theme reminded us that peace required “sustained efforts at every level.”
Observed on September 21, the International Day of Peace, or World Peace Day, was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly, designating the day 20 years later as a period of non-violence and cease-fire. This year, the International Day of Peace is being observed under the theme, “Invest in Peace, For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day.”
According to a statement issued by Pakistan’s Press Information Department, Islamabad remained “firmly committed to international peace and security and to a strong, effective and inclusive multilateral system with the UN at its core.”
“We support the peaceful settlement of disputes and a comprehensive approach to conflict prevention and resolution based on dialogue, diplomacy and collective action,” the president said according to the statement.
The president also said Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to end the conflict between Iran and the United States through the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding opened a path towards de-escalation and a negotiated settlement.
“The subsequent high-level talks at Bürgenstock, Switzerland, carried that effort forward by focusing on its implementation,” the president said, adding that Pakistan remained engaged in efforts to sustain dialogue and achieve a durable peace for the region and the wider world.
President Zardari said that Pakistan believed there could be no durable peace where the right of peoples to self-determination was denied and [United Nations] Security Council resolutions remained unimplemented, including in situations of foreign occupation such as Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
“Pakistan calls upon the international community to shoulder its responsibility by upholding the UN Charter, respecting international law and promoting just and durable resolutions of disputes through peaceful means,” the president said.
“We call for continued support for de-escalation in the West Asia and beyond,” he said, adding that Pakistan stood ready as a trusted partner in this collective endeavor for a more peaceful and prosperous world.
According to a separate statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan was renewing its commitment to the constructive values of “peaceful coexistence, global stability and security, equal opportunities for development and prosperity, and justice and fairness” on this International Peace Day.
“Pakistan takes pride in its constructive role in advancing regional and international peace,” the premier said, adding that the country made “made sincere and consistent efforts towards the resolution of conflicts, de-escalation of tensions, and promotion of global peace.”
This year’s theme underscored that peace was not merely the absence of armed conflict rather its true dividends are manifested at both the global and national levels through the economic and social well-being of people, protection of fundamental rights, dignity and respect, equal opportunities, and inclusion, the premier said.
“An equitable and non-discriminatory social order, free from distinctions based on color or race, is essential for lasting peace,” he added.
PM said that an environment such as this could only be fostered by “collectively addressing hatred, violence, prejudice and other negative sentiments at both the individual and societal levels.”
“The enduring strength of peace depends upon collective social consciousness and individual understanding,” he said.
“Promoting civic responsibility, tolerance, and respect for diversity in our universities is vital to fostering social peace,” he added.