Pakistan has achieved major gains against terrorism: Lodhi

NEW YORK: Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) Dr Maleeha Lodhi on Saturday, said Pakistan has achieved major gains in countering terrorism, however, international cooperation is needed to eliminate the scourge across the world.

Speaking at the general assembly high-level conference of heads of counter-terrorism agencies, the Pakistani envoy said these gains have come at a high human and financial price but this has not diminished Pakistan’s resolve to fight on.

Lodhi pointed out, that the largest anti-terrorism operation was carried out by Pakistan by deploying over 200,000 of its forces. 

However, she asserted, Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism strategy has involved more than just military means.

The Pakistani ambassador said, no country can fight the menace of terrorism alone. 

She added, fight against terror largely depends upon strengthening regional and international cooperation, adding Pakistan took the lead in the region, and organized the first Islamabad International Counter-Terrorism Forum in April this year.

“Terrorism and extremism remain among today’s biggest security challenges, feeding off instability in many parts of the world and also fueling it,” Lodhi said.

She added that threats posed by terrorist groups defy national borders, which present a global security challenge which no country can tackle on its own.

Terrorists becoming sophisticated 

The Pakistani envoy added easy access to information technology has given further impetus to connections between transnational terrorist organisations which are becoming more sophisticated in their operations.

“Acting as borderless force terrorist groups freely operate in the cyber domain and disseminate their toxic message to promote online recruitment, raise funds and even plan and launch attacks,” she said.

She underscored the need to have a secure and sustainable information and coordination mechanism in the field of cyberspace to prevent its abuse.

Emphasizing the need for effective cooperation between national, regional and international actors to frame a coordinated response, the Pakistani envoy said, “The challenges we face today will continue to evolve in new and unpredictable ways. We need to work together and in unison on our capacity to evolve and adapt to meet them.”