YouSaid · the spoken record

Asif Ali Zardari

lines on the record: 49
first: 2008-09-24
most recent: 2012-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“I dream of a millennium of tolerance and pluralism, in which people respect other people, nations respect other nations, and religions respect other religions. “That is the third millennium I see for my country and others”. (A/51/PV.20, p.4) We have made some progress towards achieving those goals. But so much remains to be done. In her memory and in the name of God Almighty, Pakistan commits to that path again today. May peace be upon all countries and their people.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“It has not been easy, but nothing worth fighting for is. We long ago stopped thinking of doing what is easy. Instead, we have committed ourselves to doing what is right. In that regard, I recall the powerful words of my beloved martyred wife and my leader, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, when she appeared before this body 16 years ago. Her words ring out and guide us into a new future. She said in 1996, “I dream of a third millennium in which the gap between rich and poor evaporates; in which illiteracy, hunger, malnutrition and disease are at long last conquered; in which every child is planned, wanted, nurtured and supported; and in which the birth of a girl is welcomed with the same joy as that of a boy.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Despite the presence of international forces in Afghanistan, the size of the heroin trade has increased by 3,000 per cent in the last decade. The heroin industry is eroding the social fabric of our society. Terrorist activities within our region and, indeed, all over the world are funded and fuelled by the unrestricted production and sale of illegal drugs. Pakistan has pursued an ambitious agenda to control that menace. We are coordinating with our neighbours and will hold a conference later this year to develop a unified approach to stamping out the drug trade. My call upon this body, and especially those nations represented here that are actively engaged in the region, is: here, today, let us begin to work together. I have committed my presidency and my nation’s future to a paradigm shift, a permanent democratic future for Pakistan.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“In Pakistan, the lesson we learned from the last 30 years is that history cannot be changed, but the future can — to a future that is brighter, more prosperous and more secure, not only for Pakistanis but for all the peoples of the region, and, indeed, the world. I must thank the member States of the European Union (EU) for recognizing the value of trade to Pakistan. We seek trade, rather than aid. By granting trade concessions to Pakistan, the EU has sent a positive message. Those concessions will help us revive the economy and fight terrorism. As we embark on this ambitious transformative experience, we are aware that there are threats and pitfalls. One of them is the expanding illegal trade of heroin.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“By normalizing trade relations, we want to create a regional South Asian narrative. Such a narrative will provide an environment that will mutually benefit the countries of our region. Along this road, there are pitfalls. One of them is the tendency to respond to failure through blame. Pakistan does not blame others for the challenges it faces. We believe that we should look for a win-win solution. Regional cooperation and connectivity will bring us closer and bind us together. It will make us stakeholders in one another’s futures. Our hosting of a quadrilateral summit next month and our signing of the Afghan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement are proof of that commitment to regional connectivity.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Pakistan will support in every way possible any process that reflects Afghan national consensus. Similarly, we approach our relations with India on the basis of mutual trust. The contacts between our leadership are expanding. I was encouraged by my discussions last month in Tehran with the Prime Minister of India, whom I met with for the fifth time in four years. Our principled position on territorial disputes remains the bedrock of our foreign policy. We will continue to support the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to peacefully choose their destiny in accordance with the Security Council’s long-standing resolutions on this matter. Kashmir remains a symbol of the failures, rather than the strengths, of the United Nations system. We feel that a resolution of these issues can be arrived at only in an environment of cooperation.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“In China, our strategic partnership is growing from strength to strength. In Afghanistan, we have begun to engage and deepen our friendship with the entire range of the Afghan political spectrum. We believe that a sovereign, stable and secure Afghanistan is good for the Afghan people, and what is good for the Afghan people is good for Pakistan. While our hearts and homes remain open to our Afghan brothers, it is imperative that the international community support the 3 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan in their quest to return home with dignity. A brighter Afghan future will be possible only when the quest for peace is Afghan-owned, Afghan-driven and Afghan-led. We respect and support the efforts of the Government of Afghanistan for reconciliation and peace.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“We have established, for the first time, a truly independent election commission, to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. Our media is free, uncensored and thriving. Our civil society is flourishing under the protection of democracy. We have created the first social safety net, through the women of Pakistan, for the weak and less privileged. Millions of families have benefitted. We have aided the poor and at the same time empowered the women of our households. That safety net is called the Benazir Income Support Programme. These are the gifts of democracy. This is the dream of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. The growing regional pivot in Pakistan’s foreign policy is a symbol of our democratic policy-making. In engaging with our region, we are changing the future.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“I am sure that the international community does not want any suffering anywhere, least of all in Pakistan. We believe, in fact, that the international community is a partner. That is because it is in the common interest of all nations to work together. In Pakistan, I have helped bring about a major strategic shift in how we view working together. Within Pakistan, our democracy has brought about major changes. God willing, this will be the first civilian Government in Pakistan’s 66-year history to complete its full five-year term. In that time, Parliament has passed unprecedented reforms. We have restored the consensus 1973 Constitution. The National Assembly has enacted wide-ranging social reforms. We have established a National Commission on Women and a National Commission on Human Rights.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“My country’s social fabric and its very character have been altered. Our condition today is a product of dictatorship. No country and no people has suffered more in the epic struggle against terrorism than Pakistan. Drone strikes and civilian casualties on our territory add to the complexity of our battle for hearts and minds through this epic struggle. To those who say that we have not done enough, I say in all humility: please do not insult the memory of our dead and the pain of our living. Do not ask of my people what no one has ever asked of any other people. Do not demonize the innocent women and children of Pakistan, and please, stop this refrain to do more. The simplest question of all is: how much more suffering can Pakistan endure?”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“For more than 30 years, our doors have been open to our Afghan brothers and sisters. For many years, we were left to fend for ourselves and our Afghan guests. I remember the red carpet that was rolled out for all the dictators in our country — dictators who promised the international community the moon — while Pakistan was kept in the dark. Those dictators and their regimes are responsible for suffocating and throttling Pakistan, Pakistan’s institutions and Pakistan’s democracy. I remember the judicial execution of Pakistan’s first elected leader, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. I remember the jailing of Pakistan’s elected leaders. I remember the 12 years that I myself spent in prison, and I remember the billions provided by the international community to support those dictatorships.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“I am here to ask some questions on behalf of the Pakistani people: on behalf of the two-year-old baby who was killed in the bombing at Lahore’s Moon Market on 7 December 2009; on behalf of Pervaiz Masih, a Christian Pakistani who was killed with six others while trying to protect Muslim Pakistanis during a bomb attack on Islamic University in Islamabad on 20 October 2009; on behalf of Commandant Siffat Gha-yoor of the Frontier Constabulary police force in Peshawar, who was martyred by militants on 4 August 2010; on behalf of the traders and businessmen in Peshawar, Quetta, Lahore and Karachi and in the dozens of marketplaces that have been ravaged by multiple bombings, over and over and over again; and, perhaps most of all, on behalf of my three children, whose mother, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, was also martyred by terrorists.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“On 27 December 2007, knowing that her life was under threat from the mindset that she had warned the world against, Pakistan’s first elected female leader, and my wife, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, was martyred by the bullets and bombs of terrorists. Terrorism and extremism have destroyed human lives, torn the social fabric and devastated the economy. Our economy, our lives and our ability to live in the shadow of our Sufi saints and our freedom-loving forefathers have been challenged. We have responded. Our soldiers have responded. So I am not here to answer questions about Pakistan.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“We support the rights of the Palestinian people and an independent Palestinian State. We also favour the admission of Palestine to full membership of the United Nations. There are many questions that are asked of Pakistan these days. I am not here to answer questions about Pakistan. The people of Pakistan have already answered them. The politicians of Pakistan have answered them. The soldiers of Pakistan have answered them. We have lost more than 7,000 Pakistani soldiers and policemen, and more than 37,000 civilians. We have lost our Minister for Minority Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, and my friend Salmaan Taseer, Governor of Punjab, our most populous province, to the actions of extremists. And I need not remind my friends here today that I bear a personal scar.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Our election to the Security Council reflects our commitment to world peace. It is also a vote of confidence in Pakistan on the part of the international community.The United Nations represents our common aspirations for peace and development. However, it needs reform. The United Nations system must become more democratic and accountable, and reform should be based on consensus and democratic principles. In the last several years, Pakistan has repeatedly suffered natural calamities. The people of Pakistan appreciate the support of the United Nations and the international community in that connection. Being a democratic country, we believe that the legitimate aspirations of any people should be accommodated peacefully and in a manner consistent with the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of States.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“We must save our current and future generations from the horrors of war. I think of my own children and the generations of unborn children yet to come. They, and all the children of the world, deserve safety, stability and security. Those goals have guided me throughout my four years in office as President of Pakistan. They are the goals and principles about which I want to talk today. Pakistan’s engagement with the United Nations lies at the heart of those goals. We are proud of going above and beyond the call of duty in fulfilling our international responsibilities. Pakistan has consistently been among the top United Nations peacekeeping troop contributors for many years. Today, more than 10,000 Pakistani troops proudly wear the Blue Helmet of the United Nations in the service of our brothers and sisters around the world.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, from the brotherly state of Qatar, who carried out his work with skill. I would also like to express our appreciation for the laudable work of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. We greatly appreciate his leadership in guiding the work of the Organization. It is a special privilege to be at the General Assembly today, representing the brave and courageous people of Pakistan. Globally, we face enormous challenges. But with collective efforts and commitment we can provide our people with a better future. We must work to end poverty. We must work to protect the planet and mitigate climate change. We must ensure that all people have equal rights, and we must protect the weak and vulnerable. We must pursue justice and fairness for all. We must pursue the peaceful settlement of international disputes.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Before I begin my statement, I want to express the strongest condemnation of the recent acts of incitement to hatred perpetrated against the faith of the billions of Muslims around the world and our beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Although we can never condone violence, the international community must not remain a silent observer and should criminalize such acts, which destroy the peace of the world and endanger global security by abusing the freedom of expression. Pakistan asks that the United Nations immediately address this matter of great alarm and concern and bridge the widening rift in order to enable the comity of nations to be one again. I would like to congratulate the President on his election to his important post and to convey our appreciation to the previous President, His Excellency Mr.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“In overcoming the challenges faced by the world, the United Nations has a central role to play. Guided by its principles and the high ideals in its Charter, the United Nations is destined to succeed. A democratic Pakistan will continue to uphold the ideals and values of the United Nations. Together we shall succeed. In the words of my leader and martyred wife Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, “time, justice and the forces of history are on our side”.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Pakistan will continue to play a constructive role in promoting conflict resolution and restraint in South Asia and in promoting initiatives on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation on the basis of non-discrimination. Pakistan’s priority is economic development. We wish to build on our internal strengths. In this effort we seek partnerships. We seek to develop a win-win situation. We are engaged in economic revival by developing our agriculture, building mega-hydro projects, initiating water conservation projects, undertaking infrastructure projects, promoting regional trade and cooperation and encouraging, beyond Government, the corporate sector in development. We 09-52463 30 need to develop a framework for cooperation that will deliver quickly.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Meaningful progress towards a resolution of the Kashmir dispute is necessary for durable peace and stability in South Asia. Pakistan also supports the rights of the Palestinian people as guaranteed in several United Nations resolutions. Durable peace in the Middle East requires that the issue of Palestine be addressed meaningfully. We also call for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi. All nations seek security. Peace and security are closely linked. Equal security for all is important. We support all efforts for arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. The principle of equal security is of fundamental importance for achieving those objectives. Imbalances in security, especially at the regional level, need to be redressed.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We have been providing for them on our own. We call upon the world to help in the safe return of the refugees to their homes. Pakistan’s democracy has begun to deliver. We are doing more in self-interest. We urge the world’s democracies to do more for the peace and development of the people affected by militancy and terror. We need to create economic opportunities for our people. We urge our friends and partners to help Pakistan by providing market access for the economic revival and well-being of their own people. Pakistan desires friendly relations with India. We believe that dialogue is the only way forward. The absence of dialogue leads to tensions that must be avoided. We look forward to the resumption of the composite dialogue process. We seek a peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues with India.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Pakistan appreciates the international community’s support and understanding of our efforts. We urge the international community to further reinforce this support. We are determined to eliminate terrorism and extremism from our territory. To that end, the early return of peace and stability in Afghanistan is critical. The flow of weapons across the region must stop. The funding and support to militants by drug barons and other elements must stop. We also believe that regional cooperation against terrorism and extremism holds great promise. We emphasize regional efforts for peace and stability. Pakistan will continue to work with Afghanistan and the international community for the early restoration of peace and stability in that country. Pakistan has hosted almost 3 million Afghan refugees for the past three decades.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We need to adopt dialogue, development and a wise use of force as our strategy. Pakistan has firmly responded to the challenges of extremism and militancy. Democracy has given our people ownership of the fight against terrorism. Today, our nation stands fully united in this struggle. Our law enforcement agencies have, within a short span of time, cleared a large area in Malakand of militants. Of the more than 2.5 million civilians who were forced to leave their homes, about 2 million were hosted by their relatives and friends. I salute the host families. Democracy and political ownership of the war have proved to be the chief weapons in the fight against militancy. In the short span of 10 weeks, most of the internally dislocated have returned to their homes. We are now engaged in rebuilding their lives.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Pakistan has suffered greatly from 29 09-52463 terrorism and religious extremism. Terrorism and extremism were not previously known to our society and culture. Religious extremism entered our society and the region when we all in the free world decided to confront a rival ideology. The policy was based on the exploitation of religion to motivate Muslims around the world to wage jihad. It was a policy whereby jihadi leaders were referred to as the moral equivalents of George Washington. It was a policy that allowed warlords and criminals to destroy civilizations to come. The virus multiplied and has affected the world. To eliminate militancy we must strike at its roots. Surgery alone will not be enough. We need to address the causes of deprivation, poverty and illiteracy.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“I, my party, my people and Pakistan’s democracy are grateful to the international community and to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for constituting an international commission of investigation into her assassination. We are confident that the commission will bring out all the dimensions of her life, work and tragic assassination. The world supports our struggle for democracy, and we are grateful for that support. Democracy in Pakistan is beginning to achieve successes in the fight against militancy. The real challenge now is to make democracy sustainable, and indeed irreversible. This requires that democracy should be able to deliver. It should meet the aspirations of our people to progress and prosperity. It must give our people peace and stability. Unfortunately, our neighbourhood has witnessed decades of conflict.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“It demands a return to the path of the United Nations. It calls for reforming the United Nations on the principles of equality and consensus building. In Pakistan, the will of the people has prevailed. Our people have witnessed a profound democratic transformation. We have entered a new era of democracy, the rule of law and human rights. Democracy in Pakistan is of great importance not only to our country, but also to our region and the world. Pakistan has struggled hard for democracy. My late wife, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, led the fight for democracy and laid down her life for it. Following in the footsteps of her great father, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, she made the ultimate sacrifice so that our nation might live in democracy. We are now following in her footsteps.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“I am honoured to return to this chamber of hope, peace and cooperation. I wish to convey the warm greetings of the people of Pakistan. We are delighted to see you, Mr. President, presiding over the General Assembly. The high ideals of the United Nations have inspired our vision of a global society that is based on peace and justice, freedom and human rights, equality and equal opportunity, freedom from want and hunger, tolerance and harmony — a global society that believes in the sovereign equality of nations large and small, and that promotes truth and reconciliation. On behalf of the people of Pakistan, I assure you, Mr. President, of our cooperation in fashioning a safer and better world in which all children — yours and mine — shall live in peace and harmony. This is a world in which we shall all depend on one another.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“I owe it to her memory and to all of the martyrs of democracy to continue to do the same until the Bhutto doctrine of reconciliation is not just her dream but the world’s reality.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Terror took my wife’s life, but the terrorists cannot kill my wife’s dream. Her vision, her passion and her force are now our common task. The Benazir Bhutto doctrine of reconciliation lives on; it guides us in our endeavours. Her reconciliation is the mantra of the new era. I am dedicated to implementing what she proposed. I wish I could do it at my wife’s side, but now I will do it in my wife’s place. Pakistan will prove wrong all the negative predictions about its future. We will show the way by overcoming suspicions towards and from our neighbours and building a future for our people. Throughout her life, my wife struggled to make the world a better place for our children, the children of Pakistan and the children of the world.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We will turn the power of justice against the chaos of anarchists. We will turn the power of right against the darkness of evil. I did not come to the office of President, to this moment, by design. As my wife once said about herself, I did not choose this life — it chose me. An 19 08-51851 extraordinary combination of circumstances brought me to this moment. It has not been an easy road. I spent nine years in prison, in solitary confinement, as a hostage to my wife’s struggle for democracy and to our party’s future. I was unjustly imprisoned under a judicial system manipulated and controlled by the forces of dictatorship. I refused to break under pressure. My years in prison made me a stronger person and hardened my resolve to fight for democracy and justice. Those years prepared me for this moment.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“As I discussed with the Indian Prime Minister yesterday, whether it is the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir or cooperation on water resources, India and Pakistan must and will accommodate each other’s concerns and interests. We must respect and work with each other to peacefully resolve our problems and build South Asia into a common market of trade and technology. Better relations between Pakistan, Afghanistan and India would help create a regional environment more conducive to reducing militancy in our region. But let me be clear to those in this Hall and to the terrorists lurking in their caves, plotting their next assault on humanity. If necessary, we will confront evil with force — our police, our army and our air force. We will turn the power of the State against the stateless terrorists.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“People, including my wife, died for this movement. We will not waste their sacrifices. We will work patiently to convince leaders in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and our Pakhtunkhwa province to accept the writ of the Government and turn their back on terrorists. The terrorists may blow up our girls’ schools but we will rebuild them, brick by brick, inch by inch. We are in this battle to win and we know how we have to do it. We will work together with our neighbours in Afghanistan and with the NATO forces stationed there to ensure security for our common border. We will continue the composite dialogue with India so that our outstanding disputes are resolved.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“An economically viable Pakistan will be a stable Pakistan. And a stable Pakistan will suck the oxygen out of the terrorist agenda. Economic justice and political democracy are the worst nightmares of terrorists. We must all fight this epic battle together as allies and partners. But just as we will not let Pakistan’s territory be used by terrorists for attacks against our people and our neighbours, so we cannot allow our territory and our sovereignty to be violated by our friends. Attacks within Pakistan that violate our sovereignty actually serve to empower the forces against which we fight together. I am a democratic President of a democratic country that intends to be a model to our region and to our religion. I am the President of a vibrant, modern, tolerant, peaceful, moderate democracy committed to economic and social justice.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We have shared our airbases, our airspace, our intelligence and our armed forces in a coordinated effort to contain terrorism. It is time for the developed world to step up to the plate to help us and in turn help itself. The fight against terrorism and extremism is a fight for the hearts and minds of people. It cannot be won by guns and bombs alone. The fight must be multifaceted. The battleground must be economic and social as well as military. We will win when people are mobilized against fanatics. To mobilize them, we have to give them hope and opportunity for their future. They need jobs. Their children need education. They must be fed. They must have energy. We must give people a stake in their own government and we must demonstrate to them that democracy works, that democratic governance can improve their everyday life.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Democracy is not like a switch that can be turned on and off when it is convenient. It is a universal value guaranteed to all men and women. The outcome of these struggles will determine whether the noble experiment embodied in the hallowed halls of the United Nations will succeed or fail. The struggle between the Bhutto doctrine of reconciliation and the terrorists’ doctrine of death will determine the future of mankind. Let not the extremists who would manipulate Islam for their political ends define us to the world. They are rabid but they are few. It is time for the world to take notice. We are not the cause of the problem of terrorism; we are its victims. We are an aggrieved nation, not one that has caused grief. We have largely fought this battle alone.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Today, the horror of terrorism that plagues our nation and threatens the world is a by-product of the lack of commitment to the values of democracy. When the world betrays democracy, it sets the table for disaster. We will all continue to pay the price. In these early years of the new millennium, there are two great battles before mankind. First, there is the battle for democracy and liberty against dictators, the fight for universal human rights. That is the hallmark 08-51851 18 of this Organization. At the same time, we are fighting in the trenches of the battle that will determine the course of this century — the battle against extremism and terrorism, between the forces of ignorance and the forces of education, between bigotry and tolerance, between justice and discrimination, between confrontation and reconciliation.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“I stand before this Assembly as the President of a great nation that just recently, in a decade of brutal military dictatorship, suffered human rights abuses and the systematic destruction of the foundations of democracy and civil society. Sadly, all too often, the world stood silent as dictators ruled our people with a bloody fist. Nations that were founded on democracy were silent for reasons of expediency. My wife would say that they danced with dictators. Today, as we meet here in New York, the democratically elected leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, continues to be imprisoned in Yangon. She has suffered year after year under house arrest. The world must demand that that great woman finally be freed. We appreciate the efforts of Mrs. Laura Bush in that regard.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Only a democratic Government can win this war. We are fighting the menace and we will continue to do so. But this fight is for the peace of the world. This fight is for the future of generations to come. Yes, we fight for ourselves, for our children, for our very soul. Yes, this war is our war, but we need the moral, political and economic support of the international community. In our stability lies the world’s security. Globalization is not just economic; it is also political. The terrorist vision strikes out at all nations. We must draw a line on their rampage. And we must draw that line in Pakistan. The question I ask the world’s leaders in this august Hall is whether they will stand with us, just as we stand for the entire civilized world on the frontlines of this epic struggle of the new millennium.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Fighting it requires political will, popular mobilization and a socio-economic strategy that wins the hearts and minds of nations afflicted by it. Unilateral actions of great Powers should not inflame the passions of allies. Violating our nation’s sovereignty is not helpful in eliminating the terrorist menace. Indeed, such actions could have the opposite effect. Many participants in this great Hall today read about terror, while we live it. We do not learn about terror from reading newspapers or watching the evening news. We see our children and our wives being blown up before us. Our cities, neighbourhoods, streets, hotels and offices bear the brunt of the terrorist fanatic rage every single day. A democratic Pakistan is in the process of reaching the national consensus necessary to confront and defeat the terrorists.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We were left to live with the consequences. And one of the greatest of those consequences was the birth of Al-Qaida and the Talibanization of Afghanistan and parts of our tribal areas. Yet, we do not look back at history. We are victims, but we will never be vanquished. On the contrary, the more of our children’s blood they spill, the stronger is our determination to defeat them. We in Pakistan stand united and in defiance. We are resolved that our future will not be dictated by those who distort the spirit and laws of Islam for their sordid politics and political goals. We may be the targets of international terrorism, but we will never succumb to it. Towards that end, we reach out to this Assembly and to the entire civilized world. Terrorism cannot be fought by military means alone.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Once again, Pakistan is the great victim in the war on terror. And once again, our people wonder whether we stand alone. Thousands of our soldiers and civilians have died fighting against the common enemies of humanity. We have lost more soldiers than all the 37 countries combined that have forces in Afghanistan. The roots of today’s terrorism can be traced to a war involving the world’s super-Powers in Afghanistan during the 1980s. Afghanistan and Pakistan — and, increasingly, the entire world — are reaping the bitter harvest sown towards the end of the cold war. The world turned its back on Afghanistan after the Soviet defeat. In Pakistan, we were left with 3 million refugees within our borders. Their camps soon became breeding grounds for intolerance and violence. The world left South and Central Asia.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“If Al-Qaida and the Taliban believed that, by silencing Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, they were silencing her message, they were very wrong. We have picked up the torch and will fight against terrorists who attack us and terrorists who use our territory to plan attacks against our neighbours or anywhere in the world. Ours is a bloody fight, and neither the personal pain that my children and I feel nor the pain of a nation that has been robbed of its greatest asset, its greatest leader, can be fully expressed. But the terrorists’ lust for blood and hate has not been satisfied. Only last week, the forces of evil struck again in a bloody and cowardly attack against my people. A suicide truck 17 08-51851 bomb destroyed a great building in our capital, barely a stone’s throw away from my office and the House of Parliament.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“While the Marshall Plan was based on the principle that an economically sound Europe could and would resist communism, the pillar of the Bhutto doctrine is that an economically viable Pakistan will be the centrepiece of the victory of pluralism over terrorism. The Bhutto doctrine will ultimately prove to be as critical to the victory of freedom in this century as the Marshall Plan was critical to the triumph of liberty in the last. Ours is the doctrine of reconciliation; theirs is the doctrine of death. Her killers thought that her elimination would end her dream of a democratic Pakistan and that the Balkanization of our region would enable the forces of darkness to prevail. But our nation rallied in the aftermath of her brutal and tragic assassination.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Benazir Bhutto understood that democracy was not an end, but a beginning; that a starving child has no human rights; that a father who cannot support his family is someone ripe for extremism. Mr. Win (Myanmar), Vice-President took the Chair. The Bhutto doctrine of reconciliation is a road map not only to a new Pakistan, but to a new era of peace and cooperation between East and West and among people of all faiths. It is a road map that, if followed, will enable us to avoid the clash of civilizations and the clash of religions, which is the terrorists’ ultimate goal. The Bhutto doctrine is the new century’s equivalent of the Marshall Plan, which saved Europe after the Second World War.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“My wife courageously returned to Pakistan last year, openly confronting the forces of terror. Three million people turned out to welcome Benazir and the return of democracy to Pakistan. She was a brave woman who understood the dynamics of our region and the world — who understood the interrelationship between politics and economics, between social injustice and political dictatorship. For years, she told world leaders that dictatorship fuels extremism and that poverty fuels fanaticism. She outlined the Bhutto doctrine of reconciliation, so brilliantly presented in her last book. The Bhutto doctrine sets out a dual mission of combating dictatorship and terrorism while promoting social and economic reform and justice for the people of Pakistan.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“A United Nations investigation into the murder of the leader of the people of Pakistan would reassure them that the international community cares about them and that the United Nations Charter of justice is more than rhetoric. We owe it to her. We owe it to history. If a country’s President and his children cannot obtain justice through the United Nations, how will the poor and the dispossessed around the world find reassurance that the United Nations is capable of protecting the weak and the suffering? In the name of humanity and in the name of justice, the Organization must move forward quickly with the investigation into the assassination of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto so that, once and for all, the people of Pakistan and the rest of the world will know whose bloody hands took away one of the greatest women in history.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“It has been 11 months since the first attack on my wife, on 18 October 2007, was followed by the adoption of a United Nations resolution calling for an inquiry into that crime against humanity. That United Nations resolution has so far been ineffective. After her assassination, on 27 December, the international community demanded an independent inquiry — a demand supported by resolutions adopted in Pakistan’s Parliament and four provincial legislatures. Today, we still do not know what forces and institutions were involved — who plotted and planned and coordinated and trained and paid for the murder of my wife, my nation’s beloved leader.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“I come before the Assembly today in the name of my late wife, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, as a victim of terrorism representing a nation that is a victim of terrorism. I am a husband who has seen the mother of his children give her life fighting the menaces of terrorism and fanaticism, which haunt the entire civilized world. In her place and in her honour, I come before the Assembly as the elected President of a democratic Pakistan who received a mandate from two thirds of our Parliament 08-51851 16 and assemblies. That extraordinary mandate of support was a vote of confidence in her, in her doctrine and in her message. The vote was an act of love and a demand for a democratic, moderate, modern, tolerant and economically just Pakistan — the essence of the Bhutto doctrine.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)