PAKISTAN SUPPORTS LANKA IN...
“Pakistan strongly supports Sri Lanka in pursuing indigenous solutions to the national issue”
Sri Lanka’s relationship with Pakistan is on an upward trajectory, with wellrounded cooperation in many sectors says Seema Ilahi Baloch, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.
In an interview with the Daily Mirror, the High Commissioner notes that the bilateral relationship is characterised by robust political and defence cooperation, and strong partnerships in the economic, educational and cultural domains.
Baloch affirms that Sri Lanka’s domestic reconciliation mechanism – the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) – has demonstrated the government’s commitment to finding home-grown solutions to the country’s unique problems, and emphasises that Sri Lanka must be given the ‘time and space’ to address its internal issues.
“Pakistan does not support any move that amounts to interference in the internal affairs of any country including Sri Lanka and we will strongly oppose any move in the Human Rights Council (HRC) that may endanger the on-going process of reconciliation. Sri Lanka has a commendable record in engaging the international community – be it at the United Nations or HRC – and therefore they should be given a fair chance to go ahead with the commitments they have made to themselves,” she firmly declares.
Excerptsfromtheinterviewwith thehighcommissioner: Current bilateral relationship
Q : How do you view the current bilateral relationship between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in view of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s recent visit to Islamabad?
The relationship between Pakistan and Sri Lanka has fortunately always been one of very good cooperation. In 1971, Sri Lanka was very helpful to Pakistan, and Pakistan has been very helpful to Sri Lanka especially during the last few years of the civil war. The recent visit of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to Pakistan should be seen in the same context. It is always on an upward trajectory.
Our President was here in November 2010 and had invited President Rajapaksa to visit Pakistan. It was a goodwill visit and the presidents of both countries expressed support and solidarity for each other, in times of need. There is cooperation not just in the political side, but on other sides such as economic, defence, and education. So there is very-well rounded cooperation in all fields.
Srilankaandthehumanrights Council(hrc)
Q : A resolution critical of the Sri Lankan government’s conduct of the war against the LTTE, particularly its last phase in 2009, is due to be floated at the HRC shortly. What are your comments on this move, in view of the fact that Pakistan has been a strong supporter of Sri Lanka’s fight against terrorism?
What is going on in Geneva right now is very important to address. Pakistan has been a very staunch supporter of Sri Lanka in its efforts to defeat terrorism. We have also always supported Sri Lanka at the HRC. We feel that the domestic reconciliation mechanism of the government does convey their commitment to find home-grown solutions to their problems. We believe it is an internal issue of Sri Lanka which they must have time and space to address.
Pakistan does not support any move that amounts to interference in the internal affairs of any country including Sri Lanka and we will strongly oppose any move in the HRC that may endanger the ongoing process of reconciliation. We feel that Sri Lanka has a commendable record in engaging the international community – be it at the UN or HRC – and therefore they should be given a fair chance to go ahead with the commitments they have made to themselves.
Joint resolution in Geneva
Q : It has been reported that Pakistan, Cuba and Sri Lanka will co-sponsor a resolution calling for greater transparency in funding and staffing of the HRC. Could you please elaborate on the reasons behind this decision?
Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Cuba with the support of like-minded countries had adopted a decision with consensus in the 18th session of the HRC in September 2011 that acknowledged the need for a constructive dialogue between the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the HRC.
But at the last session of the Council, an agreement was not reached on the forum where such an interactive dialogue will be organised. So efforts are being made to resolve the differences on this forum and we hope that a formal decision will be adopted by consensus in this session of the HRC.
Sri Lanka’s post-war reconciliation process Q : As an outside observer, what is your evaluation of the government’s postwar reconciliation efforts?
I see reconciliation under three broad cat- egories; political, economic and social. The latter two categories have progressed fairly well. I was in Jaffna recently (the government had organised a trip for diplomats) and it was extremely heartening to see that there are tremendous efforts at improving infrastructure, livelihood, and shelter. On the social side, the government is putting a lot of effort into resettling IDPS and reintegrating exLTTE cadres. So one would say there certainly is improvement.
The political dialogue is there, but obviously it needs a much greater push to move forward. It is very important that the way forward is done in a manner that is conducive and integrates all the different ethnic groups here. That is the only way forward where Sri Lanka will be able to protect its sovereignty and prevent outside interference. Outside interference is never in the long-term national interest of any country. Pakistan strongly supports Sri Lanka in pursuing indigenous solutions to the national issue.
Priorities as High Commissioner
Q : What are your priorities as High Commissioner, and how do you think the relations between the two countries can be further strengthened?
Pakistan played a fairly important role in defeating terrorism in Sri Lanka. Now Pakistan is going through difficult times. One of the most important areas to look at is economic cooperation, for both countries. Under economic cooperation, I would include both trade and investment. One way to move that forward would be through joint ventures. So if we could bring the business communities of the two countries together, that – for me – would be a major achieve- ment.
The second broad sector is people-to-people contact. It’s very interesting that we have a lot of warmth and goodwill between us. Yet, not enough people build on this. We do have projects under which we are funding young Sri Lankans to study medicine, and we have the Jinnah Scholarships. But more needs to be done to improve people-to-people contact.
During President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit, three Mous were signed on media cooperation, vocational training and credit line to be extended to Sri Lanka. I hope that these agreements can serve towards achieving that goal. The media MOU in particular should hopefully be able to generate interest in each other’s cultures and values, and it is important not to allow our view of each other to be coloured by the international media.
Religious minorities in Pakistan
Q : A number of international nongovernmental organisations including Amnesty International have drawn attention to the problems faced by religious minorities in Pakistan. How do you view this issue?
I look at it from a much wider angle. Wherever there is a religious minority, there is always (1) a perception of persecution and (2) some actual persecution by a few extremists. It is not that the whole country feels that way; it is always a small group that create problems. I would look at what is happening in Pakistan from the same angle.
From that point of view, I think it is important to have inter-faith dialogues and Sri Lanka is a country that is ideally placed for it because you have so many different ethnic and religious groups. There are tensions here as well. It is only natural when people believe in different rituals, though all religions give the same message of compassion, kindness, mercy, goodwill towards others and the importance of serving humanity.
Pics. by Nisal Baduge