Pakistan joined the United Nations on September 30, 1947 just over a month after its independence and has remained at the forefront whenever our help was sought in its peacekeeping missions. Since its first peacekeeping mission in 1960 over 200,000 troops have participated in 46 missions in 28 countries and 156 peacekeepers have lost their lives during these missions. Pakistani peacekeepers successfully achieve the set out goals, serving the world body’s peacekeeping missions around the globe with dedication and professionalism. 
Despite facing the acute internal challenges that came with the war on terror, Pakistan has remained dedicated to fulfilling its obligations to promote peace and prosperity in the world. Pakistan draws its inspiration from the policy guidelines set out by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, “Our foreign policy is one of friendliness and goodwill towards all the nations of the world. We do not cherish aggressive designs against any country or nation. We believe in the policy of honesty and fair play in national and international dealings and are prepared to make our utmost contribution to the promotion of peace and prosperity among the nations of the world. Pakistan will never be found lacking in extending its material and moral support to the oppressed and suppressed peoples of the world and in upholding the principles of the United Nation’s Charter.”
Of late, Pakistan’s contributions towards peace have come to prominence. The performance of Pakistani peacekeepers for their distinguished and credible role in humanitarian assistance, and establishing peace has been acknowledged numerous times by the UN leadership. This reflects Pakistan’s commitment to upholding and preserving international peace and stability.
Pakistan has also made coordinated efforts with the regional stakeholders to find a peaceful solution to the Afghanistan issue and facilitate the peace process as stability in Afghanistan is essential for Pakistan’s socio-economic development and progress. The geostrategic location of Pakistan places it in the position to play a vital role in bringing peace to a country mired in decades of conflict.
Post Pulwama incident, Pakistan showed restraint in the face of warmongering and severe provocation by India. However, the current situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir – the Indian government’s move to usurp even ‘the right to live’ from Kashmiris and the resulting lockdown – poses a tough challenge to Pakistan given the gravity of the situation and apathy of the international community on the issue. In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Imran Khan denounced the recent Indian actions in Kashmir and effectively voiced Pakistan’s concerns before the international audience. The address reflected well the urgency to resolve the issue as a priority and how our concerns are centered around the well-being of Kashmiris. Our principled stance on the Kashmir dispute to continue to support the right of self-determination of the Kashmiris and its resolution in accordance with the UNSC resolutions remains the bedrock of our foreign policy. 
As we celebrate United Nations Day this year, we reiterate our commitment towards world peace and stability. We strongly believe that any country that abuses its power to quash oppressed communities in the name of advancement and development violates not only the basic human rights but also rides roughshod over the international law and United Nations Charter. We are committed to a world in which upholding human dignity, sovereignty and the right to self-determination has the highest value and maintaining regional and global peace a sacred duty.