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Statement of Afghanistan's Foreign Minister at the United Nations Millennium General Assembly

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Mr. President, 

Just on my way in the Assembly Hall, I was informed by the Supreme State Council of the Islamic State of Afghanistan that in a self-evident act of aggression, hundreds of Pakistani military personnel, army plainclothes and armed Taliban, are reported to have been positioned at Shah Saleem Pass, which divides Pakistani border town of Chitral and the northeastern Afghanistan, bound to attack Badakhshan Province.

Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of my delegation, I take this opportunity to congratulate you on assuming the major task of presiding over the important Millennium Session of the General Assembly. I would also like to congratulate the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Namibia, Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, on his excellent leadership of the 54th General Assembly Session, which set the stage for the Millennium Summit.

Mr. President, 

Three years ago, I stood before this Assembly and stated from this very podium that, as the crisis in Afghanistan continued to unfold, we had to ask-and answer-important questions. At the time, I spoke of the dark and ominous movement known as the Taliban, which - backed by cross-border troops - had invaded Afghanistan. This year, the Millennium General Assembly, indeed has to answer major questions. One among many is the silence the world has chosen to keep, in dealing with the Taliban and their Pakistani supporters. With the spread of Talibanism, which has led to the abject misery of the Afghan nation, massive insurgency and turmoil in the region and beyond, isn't it high time the international community put a stop to the Pakistani-operated Taliban processing machine? Certainly, mere rhetoric and inadequate reactions are not enough.

It is with this view that I should like to focus my statement entirely on the situation in Afghanistan and its devastating regional and international implications, within the given time limit afforded to me.

Mr. President, 

A question arises: what has been the result of Talibanization of the occupied parts of Afghanistan? In an age of information and globalization, Mr. President, it has been a reign of terror imposed by a religious police and abuse in the name of religion, elimination of all freedoms and civil liberties, massive violation of human rights and degrading and tormenting treatment of men and women, trafficking of women and girls, forced separation of women from their menfolk, random and deliberate roundup of individuals based on their ethnic and religious origins, practice of scorched-earth policy, torching and total obliteration of farmlands, orchards and other means of livelihood, contamination of water sources, forcible dispatch of children and adults to the battlefields, removal of all but rudimentary religious education only to male students with closure of all female schools, deliberate denial of access to humanitarian aid, intensification of battles and exacerbation of the situation, widespread terrorism and the destruction of the historical heritage and artifacts of Afghanistan in order to alienate the Afghan nation from its ancestry and historical identity.

The objective by the Pakistani military intelligence establishment known as the ISI, through the imposition of the so-called "Islamic Emirate" of the Taliban has been to create instability in Central and South Asia by means of terrorism. This "Islamic Emirate" has instituted Mullah Mohammad Omar, the militia's leader, as the undisputed Amir-ul-Mo'mineen, i.e. the 'Commander of the faithful' not only in Afghanistan, but in theory throughout the Muslim world.

The process the Pakistani military intelligence has chosen for the realization of its objective is to transform the Afghan nation into an exhausted, devastated, illiterate, ignorant and destitute nation struggling hard for mere survival. Pakistan wants to turn Afghanistan into its false front to mask illicit activities of narcotics trafficking, terrorism, and other crimes as well as religious extremism, by establishing centers and bases for such activities. Attempting to act as the champion of the Muslim world, Pakistan continues to execute these activities under the name of Islam. It is therefore not a matter of astonishment that such activities have led to the defamation of both the noble religion of Islam and the image of Muslims throughout the world.

In short, the Afghan nation has become the direct victim of the diabolic dreams by the Pakistani military's hegemonic interests in the region. These diabolic dreams are pursued by the Pakistani military intelligence (ISI), an evil and extremist institution, overlooking the implied risk and perilous consequence for the very survival of Pakistan as a state in the future.

Mr. President, 

As the world is gradually awakening to the creeping Taliban threat, it is a matter of dismay that some 'civilized' nations, on certain occasions, have preferred to deal with the reclusive and defiant Taliban, an entity which has failed the minimum standard of being considered as civilized, yet having championed terrorism, human rights violations and crimes against humanity. However, it is no surprise, Mr. President, that only Pakistan's military junta has continuously shed its entire blessing on the movement.

At least until early May of this year, the official position of Pakistan from what its diplomats and officials strangely claimed, was that it maintained contacts with both parties to the conflict. However, Pakistan's NNI news agency reported on May 25, 2000 that General Pervez Musharraf claimed Pakistan's pro-Taliban policy "in accordance with Pakistan national interest." Advocating that Pashtuns should be on the side of Pakistan, the General was quoted as saying, "We have a national security interest, both demographic and geographic." He further stated that in the realization of this security interest, "Pashtoons should be on our side and they (Pashtoons) are represented by Taliban." (Ref. to A/54/945 & S/2000/723 dated 21 July 2000)

Pakistan's military ruler reiterated, once again, those points in a statement at the Pakistani Institute of International Affairs on June 23, 2000. "With Afghanistan, one has to understand Pakistan national security concerns and must be clear to everyone, though not done earlier. No country in the world can force any other country to give up its national security interest," the chief of Pakistan's army was quoted as saying. These were the confession of the Pakistani arch-military ruler expressed in the most arrogantly interventionist, expansionist and hegemonist style.

The world must know that in a flagrant violation of recognized international norms and principles and in clear contempt to the UN Charter, the ruler of the Pakistani military junta, under the outrageous pretext of "national security interest", has claimed the right to impose a certain ethnic group through the invocation of an ethnically provocative mandate at the cost of sovereignty and political independence of Afghanistan, a member of the United Nations and prior to that, of the League of Nations, long before Pakistan was even born.

Mr. President, 

It is important to remember that terrorist training camps operating from the Taliban-held territories of Afghanistan, including those established by the infamous Osama bin Laden, whose dismantling has been repeatedly called for by the United Nations and the entire international community, have been established by Pakistan's military intelligence through the Taliban mercenaries and other extremist networks. They continue to utilize these territories as a ground for training, sheltering, planning and dispatching of elements seeking hostile acts against countries of the region and beyond. This is done under the guise of Islam but in fact, mainly in pursuit of Pakistani hegemonistic objectives directed towards Afghanistan and the Central Asian Republics. Recent events and activities by extremist groups in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are manifest examples of the spillover of Pakistani-Taliban supported agenda in the region.

Reiterating its condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, the Islamic State of Afghanistan remains convinced upon the inadmissibility of the use of the Afghan soil for waging war and engaging in hostile acts against the security and stability of other States.

The Islamic State of Afghanistan believes it is high time the UN Security Council-in accordance with relevant Resolutions-shall undertake appropriate enforcement measures against Pakistan, which is the prime source of sponsoring these activities.

Mr. President, 

The United Nations Security Council in its Resolution 1267 of 15 October 1999, unanimously adopted, has explicitly demanded the Taliban mercenaries to refrain from sheltering, supporting and training of terrorists and planning of terrorist acts from the Afghanistan soil against other countries, and to extradite to the requesting States those indicted for committing international acts of terrorism.

The recent upsurge of terrorist activities in Central Asian countries and beyond, emanating from the Taliban-occupied parts of Afghanistan require drastic measures by the Security Council against the militia and their Pakistani supporters. The consideration of imposition of further targeted sanctions and the expansion of the scope of Resolution 1267, which must include the end of terrorist activities in all forms and manifestations in the Taliban-held parts of Afghanistan, could adequately, among other things, serve the cause of peace and security in the region.

Here I would like to welcome the proposal by the Republic of Uzbekistan for convening an international conference, at the earliest possible, to debate the evil phenomenon of terrorism.

Mr. President, 

In spite of the current devastating drought in Afghanistan, the most severe in thirty years, Afghanistan remains the leading producer of narcotics. The production of illicit drugs and their trafficking by the Taliban and the politico-military mafia of Pakistan, account for considerable revenues used to finance the prolonged war in Afghanistan, leading to considerable transnational organized crimes, while adding to the number of addicts both at home and abroad.

Mr. President,

Deliberate violation and absolute disregard to international humanitarian laws and crimes against humanity by the Taliban and their outside supporters, in the year 2000, among many speak: --of the killing on 11 May in cold blood of 198 young Uzbek and Hazara men imprisoned as hostages in Taliban jails, --of the brutal killing on 5 August of the OMAR-affiliated UN mine clearance employees, --of the deliberate denial of access to humanitarian aid, which according to the European Union, in light of the devastating drought, constituted "a breach of international humanitarian law", --of the forced blood drawing and organ removal of innocent civilians along the Tagab-Nijrab route in August, --of the forced deportation of civilian populations of the City of Aibak on 31 July 2000, --of the closing down in August of all bakeries run by the UNWFP, in which widows were paid to make bread which was then sold at a subsidized price to other widows, numbering at least 25,000 in Kabul alone, as part of the ongoing four-year campaign by the Taliban to keep women from working, --of the aerial indiscriminate bombardment of civilian neighborhoods of Taloqan on 15 August, --and of forcible displacement of hundreds of thousands of people throughout the north due to renewed Taliban military onslaughts.

The committal of these heinous crimes by the Taliban militia, we believe, was largely attributable to a lack of adequate response by the Security Council and international community to bring to justice perpetrators involved, in addition to others, in Bamyan in 1997, in Mazar-e-Sharif and Bamyan in 1998, north of Kabul in1999, killings of Iranian diplomats and a journalist and the military adviser to UNSMA in 1998.

Mr. President, 

It is significant to note that the Taliban continue to deprive women from their fundamental rights, including the right of education, affecting over 100,000 female students just in Kabul. Women are still barred from employment by the Taliban. While the predictable results will speak for themselves, the present and future female generations of Afghanistan will be illiterate. The cultural and social impact of this criminal act will be enormous on the coming generations of the country.

Mr. President, 

The renewed Taliban-Pakistani-bin Laden military attacks this year of 1 March, targeting areas north of Kabul, of 10, 11, 13 and 14 March in Salang, Dara-e-Souf and Burka, of 29 April and 4 May in numerous districts of the central-western Province of Ghor, of 19 and 22 May on Salang and the Shamali Plains, of 1 and 9 July again on the Shamali Plains, of 28 and 29 July on Nahrin's new and old Towns, of 5-8 August on Bangi and Taloqan and of 9 August again on Taloqan to be repeated on 13 and 14 August, which after about 40 days of constant fighting, finally led to the capture of the Town on 6 September 2000, were staged in clear contempt, and blatant violation of repeated calls by the UN and the Member States of the Group of "Six-plus-Two", not to pursue military means.

In this context, I shall remind the international community that last year's 'Summer Offensive' by the Taliban-Pakistan-bin Laden axis, despite our early warnings to the Security Council, led to the great humanitarian tragedy in which hundreds of thousands of the Shamali inhabitants were driven out of their homes, who sought refuge in the Panjshir Valley, where they had to survive a harsh winter under difficult circumstances. Once again, despite our repeated calls on the Security Council to take necessary measures, the same kind of humanitarian tragedy occurred with the occupation of Taloqan just two weeks ago, when more than 100,000 persons-fearing Taliban persecution-fled the town and its periphery and sought refuge in eastern Takhar and in Badakhshan.

Mr. President, 

Pakistani military intervention in Afghanistan is a well-known fact to the international community. The presence of hundreds of Pakistani prisoners in the custody of the Government captured while fighting alongside the Taliban, of hundreds of their mortal remains in the battlefields as well as documents and identification cards obtained from their pockets, intercepted radio transmissions, massive logistical support and overt supply of large quantities of military hardware and ammunition - all prove direct involvement of Pakistani Army personnel in Afghanistan. In fact, Brigadier General Rustam of Pakistan's Armed Forces, currently stationed in Afghanistan's Kunduz Province, commands the Pakistani-Taliban-bin Laden operations in the north. He has been assisted by two of Bin Laden's henchmen, Abu Wara and Hubab, all involved in the recent occupation of Taloqan and atrocities committed against the civilian population. It is important to mention that Foreign Affairs magazine has put the total number of Pakistanis, having fought in Afghanistan since 1994, exceeding 80,000. (Nov/Dec 1999)

A breakdown of Pakistani nationals fighting in Afghanistan include the following: --Pakistani Armed contingents, including units from the North-West Frontier Corps and different commando units, having actively participated in the battles on various occasions, --ISI officers involved in the planning and command and control of operations, intelligence operations as well as logistical support, --ex-commissioned officers in charge of tactical operations, artillery support and logistics, -- Frontier militia units, --para-military members of extremist and terrorist groups affiliated with the ISI, such as the Sipah-e-Sahaaba, the Sepah-e-Tayeba, Harakat-ul-Ansar etc. --the so-called volunteers from Pakistani Madrassas or religious schools.

Other categories of foreign fighters in Afghanistan entail: --Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda Brigade and its affiliated units from around the Persian Gulf, the Middle East and Africa, --extremist groups from Central Asia, South Asia and the Far East.

In addition, thousands of Afghan refugees, educated and trained in Pakistani religious schools, are dispatched to the battlefronts of Afghanistan. Finally, there are conscripted and forcibly recruited persons from around Afghanistan deployed as canon fodder.

In this context, the Islamic State of Afghanistan appeals to the Security Council to mandate the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan (UNSMA) to dispatch an investigation team to Afghanistan to verify and report to the Security Council on the presence of Pakistani armed men and Arab fighters-working shoulder to shoulder with the Taliban mercenaries. This would break the silence, which has thus far encouraged further Pakistani intervention in Afghanistan.

I should like to remind that only those Afghans conscripted and forcibly recruited, shall be immune from being convicted by the Islamic State of Afghanistan as perpetrators of crimes of war, crimes against humanity and genocide. The rest shall be subject to indictment.

Mr. President, 

Against all odds, the Islamic State of Afghanistan continues to adhere to its solemn commitment of a negotiated settlement, based on the merits of restoration of peace and the right of the people of Afghanistan for self-determination. Proceeding from this conviction, the Islamic State of Afghanistan participated in the first session of indirect talks sponsored by the Organization of Islamic Conference on 8 March 2000 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, attended also by the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative to Afghanistan, Mr. Francesc Vendrell.

The Islamic State of Afghanistan also attended the second round of indirect talks held on 7 May 2000 with the earnest desire of addressing substantial issues and promoting confidence building measures. Abandoning large-scale military offensives, refraining from targeting civilians and guaranteeing free movement of humanitarian assistance, among the four agenda items tabled in Jeddah, were rejected by the Taliban militia, which only agreed to the exchange of POWs. Yet, the militia subsequently violated the agreed item on 11 May 2000, just one day after the inconclusive indirect talks, by killing in cold blood 198 young Uzbek and Hazara men imprisoned as hostages in their jails.

One must conclude that the failure of the Jeddah indirect negotiations in particular, and other peace initiatives at large, thus far embarked upon, derive from the sad reality that peace has had no place in the Taliban agenda.

Mr. President, 

While striving for the realization of noble human values and principles, institution of a democratic system, observation of human rights including those of women and girls, civil liberties and elections, the Islamic State of Afghanistan reiterates its firm position in a peaceful settlement of the conflict, and hereby, declares its full readiness for the formation of a broad-based, multi-ethnic and fully representative government through a workable mechanism such as the traditional Grand Assembly (Loya Jirga) or any other representative forum, under the auspices of the United Nations.

Meanwhile, as long as Pakistan continues to directly and massively intervene in the internal affairs of Afghanistan, the Islamic State of Afghanistan considers the task of defending the territorial integrity, national unity and political independence of Afghanistan its immediate priority.

The Islamic State of Afghanistan believes that continuation of the conflict in Afghanistan will further disturb regional strategic balance, which may lead to new polarizations and probable direct confrontations. As such, the dire consequences shall not benefit anyone while possibly threatening many of Afghanistan's northern neighbors. We believe upon the cessation of Pakistani intervention in Afghanistan, the conflict in our country shall come to an end, and the evil phenomena of terrorism, Talibanism and narcotics be eliminated. This will ensure the development and economic progress of the region in which Afghanistan shall serve as the convenient crossroad, connecting the Middle East, Central and South Asia and the Far East.

Mr. President, 

The Islamic State of Afghanistan highly expects: --from the United Nations and the international community to exert pressure on Pakistan to immediately cease its intervention in Afghanistan and to withdraw all its military personnel and armed nationals from Afghanistan; --from the Security Council to address the question of foreign intervention, existence of terrorist networks in Afghanistan and an effective implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions; --from the Organization of the Islamic Conference to clarify its view of Taliban words and deeds, practiced under the name of Islam, what we consider to be distorting and contrary to the true spirit of Islam, its tenets and injunctions;

--from the United Nations Drug Control Program to assist the Islamic State of Afghanistan in the fight against the production and trafficking of illicit drugs; --from the United Nations and the international community to step up their efforts for an early peaceful settlement of the Afghan conflict; --and from the international community to provide humanitarian assistance to the war-stricken and drought-hit civilian population of Afghanistan. I should like to mention that the current drought, the most severe in 30 years, will have tremendous humanitarian repercussions.

Mr. President, 

We remain thankful for the statements made by the Heads of Delegation of the Millennium Summit and General Assembly, expressing their legitimate concerns over the dangers emanating from the Pakistani-Taliban occupied territories of Afghanistan.

Mr. President, 

We highly appreciate and support the indefatigable efforts by Mr. Francesc Vendrell, the Secretary-General' Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of UNSMA, who has left no stone unturned and no party to the conflict and countries concerned out of communication, in finding a peaceful solution to the Afghan conflict.

Mr. President,

 I would like to conclude by stating that the United Nations cannot embark on the new Millennium without appropriately addressing issues enshrined in its Charter, among others, the question of non-interference. Neither can this international body advocate globalization in the true sense when Talibanization threatens regional stability in our part of the world. Certainly, the Pakistani military junta would remain the prime actor in this dreadful and immense tragedy of Asia.

We wonder Mr. President, like many others afflicted with the Taliban plague, as to how far the evil threat of Talibanism shall expand, how many more souls it will bury and how many new borders it must cross, before the conscience of the international community would be awakened, not to just consider, but to adopt immediate and drastic preventive measures.

Thank You, Mr. President

21 September 2000

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