Pakistan welcomes Muscat Action Plan to promote peace and dialogue

Pakistan on Friday described the Muscat Action Plan as an innovative path to combat the scourge of hate speech, prevent incitement to genocide and other atrocity crimes, and promote mediation, dialogue and peacebuilding at the grassroots level. Radio Pakistan reported.

These remarks were made by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, at the UN headquarters in New York.

The ambassador said the plan galvanizes the cultural legitimacy and credibility of traditional and indigenous leaders in combating hate speech and promoting peace through mediation and local peacebuilding.

He said Pakistan would continue to work hand in hand with its international partners to dismantle the “twisted and wrong ideology” of hate speech and transform societies into “oasis of peace, equality and tranquility”.

Iftikhar also commended the Sultanate of Oman, the Office of the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and the Peacebuilders Network for compiling and finalizing the Muscat Action Plan.

Pakistan on Wednesday urged all parties to exercise restraint and give diplomacy “a little more chance” amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, warning that recent events have highlighted the risk of further escalation.

Addressing a UN Security Council briefing on non-proliferation, the ambassador said Islamabad was “deeply concerned” about the current situation in the region, marked by heightened tensions.

Read: Pakistan urges Afghan Taliban to take ‘verifiable and irreversible’ action against terrorists at UN Security Council

“The events of recent days have amply underlined the fragility of the situation, the risk of escalation and the need for diplomatic efforts to bear fruit – as soon as possible,” he told the Council.

The ambassador said the recent increase in violence in the Middle East was “a stark reminder of the dangers associated with a tenuous ceasefire and the unbearable consequences it can bring.”

“The cycle of violence and instability must end for the sake of regional and international peace, security and prosperity,” he added.