43rd Session UNHRC: Intervention by Mr. Junaid Qureshi - Director EFSAS
11-03-2020, Geneva
Text and video of Mr. Junaid Qureshi's Intervention on General Debate Item 4 (Human rights situations that require the Council's attention) during the 43rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Video of Mr. Junaid Qureshi's Intervention on General Debate Item 4 during the 43rd Session of the UNHRC
"Madam Vice President,
I would like to draw the council’s attention to the threat that Terrorism and its sponsorship poses to Human Rights.
Recent FATF pressure on Pakistan has compelled the country’s military establishment to adopt a more selective attitude towards promoting, sponsoring and exporting terrorism.
Nothing new, as over decades, Pakistan has honed this skill into an art.
The orchestrated escape of Ehsanullah Ehsan of the TTP and Masood Azhar, UN designated Global Terrorist and Chief of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, suddenly gone missing, illustrate that the so-called conviction of another UN designated Global Terrorist and Lashkar-e-Taibah Chief Hafiz Saeed, is merely an eyewash.
While Hafiz Saeed’s fate will most certainly change for the better when international pressure eases, it appears that the other two Terrorists have miraculously managed to outrun the might of the Pakistani intelligence agencies, which all of a sudden lost complete sight of them.
These actions clearly demonstrate that Pakistan prefers subterfuge over sincerity, emboldened by the fact that international pressure is mainly limited to words.
Madam Vice President,
That is precisely the reason why it is imperative for the UN to invoke the several punitive leverages that are available to it, keep increasing its collaboration with the FATF and continue to sustain a hawk’s eye focus on Pakistan.
In order to stop this menace of terrorism in South Asia and beyond, what must now be ensured, is that the foot, does not come off the pedal.
Thank you".
