Pakistani peacekeepers continue to exemplify country’s steadfast commitment to world peace: FO Spokesperson

ISLAMABAD, May 29 (SABAH): Pakistan joins the international community in celebrating the “International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers” on Sunday. As one of the top troop-contributing countries, Pakistan deeply values the vital role played by “blue helmets” in maintaining security and stability in many conflict-ridden areas around the world. “We salute the services and sacrifices rendered by United Nations peacekeepers and reiterate our commitment to continue working with the United Nations for advancing the shared ideals of peace, stability and cooperation” Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said in a statement issued on Sunday.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that Pakistan is proud of its long-standing and consistent contributions to UN peacekeeping spanning over six decades. Since 1960, over 200,000 of our service men and women have served with honour and valour in 46 UN Missions in almost all continents of the world. Through their professionalism and dedication, Pakistani peacekeepers have always distinguished themselves in every mission where they have participated. 169 of our bravest peacekeepers have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty for the cause of international peace and security.

He said that Pakistani Women Peacekeepers have also been providing assistance in conflict and post-conflict situations, and inspiring women around the globe. A team of our officers is presently serving as the first all-female group from Pakistan in a UN peacekeeping mission, deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, providing a range of resources to the region including psychologists, stress counsellors, vocational training officers, gender advisors, doctors, nurses, operations officers, information officers, and logistics officers. These deployments reflect Pakistan’s deep-rooted commitment to women’s critical role in promotion of sustainable peace and security.

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that Pakistan’s contribution to peacekeeping on ground has also been complemented by our sustained engagement in policy development in peacekeeping and peace building. We bring a unique perspective to peacekeeping as a leading troop contributing country as well as a host country to one of the oldest peacekeeping missions, the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).

On this Day, we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that peacekeeping remains an effective mechanism for the maintenance of international peace and security under the UN auspices, FO Spokesperson said.