Islamabad, Pakistan (CU)_ Pakistan has requested the UN Security Council to develop a policy to defend UN peacekeeping forces from Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). While addressing the UN committee, Pakistan emphasized that UN peacekeepers around the world encounter increasingly hard challenges including high-risk environments impacted by IEDs.
Mohammad Aamir Khan, a senior Pakistani diplomat who spoke for the country at the conference said, “They restrict force mobility, spread fear across communities and undermine the efforts of host governments to restore state authority”. According to the statement, IEDs have a big disruptive capacity. He added, “A counter-IED strategy has much to do with modernizing equipment, capacity building and adequate medical support. These three areas should be at the forefront of our integrated planning process”.
Pakistan has a long historical relation with UN peacekeeping operations, and over the years, it has been one of the main contributors of troops and police to UN peacekeeping. Pakistani citizens are currently deployed in seven UN missions. Majority of whom serve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Darfur region of Sudan, and the Central African Republic. Over 6,000 Pakistani citizens are working under the UN flag. Until February 2018, Pakistan has been the fifth-largest contributor of uniformed troops to UN peacekeeping, and until 2015, Pakistan was the third-largest contributor next to India and Ethiopia.
During the conference, Pakistan informed the international community that the most economical mechanism for keeping global peace and security is possibly through UN peacekeeping mission. Pakistan debated, “Men and women serving under the UN flag risk their lives to implement complex mandates, protect civilians, assist disarmament, build peace and facilitate transitions. Yet, they face huge challenges, including from the IEDs.”
Pakistan claimed that the recent increase in attacks and casualties of UN peacekeepers necessitated a strategic evaluation of the danger posed by IEDs. Pakistan also requested the UN representatives to take a comprehensive approach towards the protection and safety of UN peacekeepers.
