UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan stressed on Friday the importance of talks as part of efforts to eliminate terrorism and said the process must be pursued in good faith to accomplish the objective.
‘Dialogue is not a tool of appeasement; it has to be pursued in good faith, as talks and terrorism do not go hand in hand, Ambassador Masood Khan told a panel of the UN Alliance of Civilisations (AoC).
Launched in 2005 through the initiative of Spain and Turkey, the AoC seeks to promote better cross-cultural relations worldwide.
Mr Khan said the government had initiated talks with militants because it was its constitutional obligation to relieve people’s fear, protect their life and honour and ensure their safety.
‘To achieve this objective, dialogue in different forms must be given a chance,’ he said while participating in a discussion on ‘Strengthening In te rn ation al Cooperation in Preventing Terrorism’ organised by the AoC’s Group of Friends panel.
Mr Khan said that in order to eliminate terrorism Pakistan had always called for a comprehensive approach comprising deterrence, development and dialogue.-APP