“Pakistan
is fully cognizant of asymmetrical and dynamic security challenges emerging in
the 21st century. We support the concept of ‘smart pledges’ and are
willing to form partnerships with fellow UN members for peacekeeping
operations.” This was stated by Minister for Defence Engineer Khurram Dastgir
Khan while speaking on the panel “Early Warning
and Deployment” during the United Nations
Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial Meeting that concluded in Vancouver, Canada.
Defence Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s
commitment to UN principles and to UN Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System
(UNPCRS).
He informed the audience that UN
verification teams have visited Pakistan and declared our preparation as a
paradigm for other member states. “Pakistan has pledged troops and equipment generously
for peacekeeping. Yet rapid deployment of peacekeeping troops to ward off
genocide and mass suffering remains one of the greatest challenges faced by the
United Nations. The onus is now on the UN to provide clear milestones and
timelines for internal reforms that support rapid deployment,” said Minister
Khan.
Pakistan is one of the leading troop
contributing countries to UN Peacekeeping missions, with over 6000 uniformed
personnel deployed currently in 10 different missions of the United Nations. Since
1960, Pakistan has sent over 180,000 troops to 45 UN missions in 28 different
countries since 1960.
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