Pakistan calls for stepped up efforts to counter unjust defamation of religions

NEW YORK:     Pakistan has called for stepped up efforts to address terrorism’s root causes and to counter the unjust defamation of certain religions that fosters misconceptions between Muslim world and the West.
Addressing the General Assembly’s Sixth Committee in New York, which deals with legal matters, Outgoing Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Maleeha Lodhi said that the international community must address the root causes of terrorism including protracted unresolved conflicts, unlawful use of force, aggression, foreign occupation and denial of the right to self-determination.
She reiterated Pakistan’s condemnation of the deadly menace of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Maleeha Lodhi said the unfair and biased portrayal of Islam and Islamic beliefs is unacceptable and must not be allowed to continue.
Acts of incitement and hate-speech against Muslims, she said, not only exacerbated the gulf in attitudes but also fostered misperceptions between the Muslim world and the West.
She said Pakistan, is committed to cooperating with the international community to work jointly to counter terrorism.