Islamabad : (Parliament Times) (PR) United Nations Secretary General H.E. Antonio Guterres
has said that Pakistan is one of the most consistent and reliable contributors to
peacekeeping efforts around the world. Since the first Pakistani deployment to Congo in
1960, Pakistan has contributed over 1,50,000 personnel to 41 peacekeeping missions in 23
countries, adding that 157 military, police and civilian personnel have paid the ultimate
price while serving under the United Nations’ flag. The Secretary General made these
remarks as he was addressing “Pakistan’s Peacekeeping Seminar & Photo Exhibition," held
at Centre for International Peace & Stability (CIPS) at the National University of Sciences &
Technology (NUST) here on Monday, February 17, 2020. He visited the university as part of
his ongoing visit to Pakistan. He said that CIPS is one of the most important institutions in
the world that support peacekeeping activities in an extremely competent and professional
way. He maintained that institutions (like CIPS) are improving our knowledge and
understanding of threats to peace and sources of instability, saying, "You are doing an
important work in the service of peace!" He also expressed his confidence that students of
NUST are making the most of their education by aligning their academic endeavours with
the broader goals of sustainable and inclusive development, equal opportunities,
environmental protection and social progress.
Earlier in his welcome address, Lt Gen Naweed Zaman, HI (M), (Retd), Rector NUST,
thanked the esteemed guest for visiting the university, and sharing his vision for global
peace and solidarity, justice and human rights. The Rector said that besides contributing to
the national objective of making Pakistan a progressive and prosperous country among the
comity of nations, the university’s academic and research programmes are also supporting
4 core purposes of the United Nations, adding that NUST is the pioneering university in
Pakistan, which is engaged with the UN Sustainable Goals 2030 with all its research aligned
to these goals. Highlighting the contributions of CIPS, he said that the Centre trains all UN
observers, and till date has trained more than 200 observers from 30 countries, in addition
to training all Military / Police personnel going for stints under the UN peacekeeping
missions.
The seminar was also addressed by Pakistan Army’s Director General Military Operations
(DGMO), Maj Gen Nauman Zakria, HI (M), who enlightened the audience about “Pakistan’s
Contributions in the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations,” and Lt Gen Maqsood
Ahmed, HI (M), (Retd), who shared his thoughts on “Contemporary Challenges to
Peacekeeping, Need for a Paradigm Shift to Action for Peacekeeping.”
The seminar was followed by a photo exhibition, where pictures of Pakistani contingents
from 1960 to date were displayed, including those of 157 martyrs who laid down their lives
for global peacekeeping during deployment under the blue UN flag. Intellectual pursuits by
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CIPS faculty (CIPS Peacekeeping journals, magazines and books) were also displayed in the
exhibition.