Mr. Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, said he was “pleased” over Pakistan’s re-elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the fifth time and vowed that the country would continue to nurture its voice “against Islamophobia and in support of mutual respect.”
Pakistan is a nation of 220 million, with 97% of its population as Muslim; by virtue of Islam, respecting Human rights is in our genes. Islam was the first religion, which emphasized Human Rights, and specified the rights of husband and wife, brothers and sisters, close relatives and distant relatives, neighbors, and the whole society. Irrespective of religion, race, ethnicity, or social sector, Islam has defined the rights of each individual and society as a whole.
It is possible, few Muslim countries, under ignorance, or due to social injustice, of economic recession, might have deviated from true Islamic teachings for the time being only, but will realized soon, and rectify their mistakes, and pay attention to Human Rights.
Under a well-planned conspiracy, Pakistan was imposed with intolerance, extremism, and violence. With a pre-conceived approach, Pakistan was pushed toward ethnic divide, factionalism, insurgencies, and divide based on various factors. That was the period of the Afghan War since the 1980s. Pakistan became the worst victim of terrorism. Deliberately, Pakistan’s image and image of Islam or the Muslim world was distorted. Islamophobia is a common phenomenon in the Western world.
By nature, Pakistan is a peace-loving nation and believes in co-existence peacefully. Islam is a religion of “Peace” and teaches tolerance, forgiveness, and kindness. Islam protects individuals’ rights strictly.
Since taking the oath, Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Imran Khan, has committed to respect Human Rights and restore the intentionally distorted image of Pakistan and Islam. Last year, his speech at the UN General Assembly had changed the whole perception of Islam and Muslims. Turkey, Malaysia, Iran, and Pakistan, are cooperating with each other to change the wrong perception of Islam globally.
PM Imran Khan is a few of his tweets, said that Pakistan was committed to upholding human rights for all and would struggle towards “advancement of tolerance and constructive engagement.” He said that as an HRC member, Pakistan would also stay to “expose” the human rights violations by the Indian forces in occupied Kashmir. India has surpassed all records of human rights abuses in the known history of humankind. The HRC has been a primary forum for discussing the gross and systematic human rights abuses being perpetrated in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The prime minister further elaborated that Pakistan will continue its hard work towards unanimity building and ensuring that HRC’s work is “guided by principles of universality, impartiality, dialogue, and cooperation.”
PM Imran also praised the efforts made by the Foreign Office and Pakistan’s missions abroad that led to “yet additional diplomatic accomplishment.” He said that the hard work of FO and overseas Pakistani missions have “enhanced Pakistan’s profile and recognition on the international stage.” the re-election of Pakistan is “a manifestation of the international community’s confidence and trust in Pakistan’s commitment to a progressive national & global human rights agenda.”
Among the five contenders from the Asia-Pacific region vying for four seats, Pakistan competed and secured the maximum number of votes. Pakistan acquired 169 votes in the election held by secret paper ballotout of 193-member UN General Assembly. Pakistan has already been serving on the council since January 2018. After re-election, Pakistan will continue to serve as a member for another three-year term consecutively, commencing on Jan 1, 2021.
China, Russia, and Cuba also earned seats on the UN’s leading human rights body despite opposition from activist groups over their poor human rights records. Russia and Cuba were running unobstructed, but China was in a five-way race in the only contested race for seats on the council.
