INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Photo un.org.pkUNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has met the United Nations target of deploying 15 percent female military and staff officers in UN
peacekeeping missions in line with efforts to enhance women''s participation in the world body''s flagship activity, a senior Pakistani
diplomat has said.Speaking in the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations on Monday, Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, permanent representative
of Pakistan to the UN, said she was proud to point out that Pakistan has gone up from zero percent participation of women in peacekeeping to
15 percent in 18 months.At the same time, she told the committee that Pakistan is deploying an "engagement team" consisting of women to the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in May.Pakistani peacekeepers have been serving in DRC since 1999. "Our faith in peacekeeping, as an
indispensable tool for the maintenance of international peace and security, is firm and atendering," the Pakistani envoy added.The Special
Committee brings together all stakeholders of UN peacekeeping -- troop and police contributors, financial contributors, Security Council
members and the UN Secretariat.Ambassador Lodhi also called for "strengthening" the United Nations Military Observer Mission in India and
Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which monitors the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, to enable it to deal with the rising tensions in the disputed
region."We believe UNMOGIP has been and continues to play an important role in the maintenance of peace and security in a volatile
neighbourhood," she said.In her comments, the Pakistani envoy said peacekeepers demonstrate that their response in hostile situations does
much constrain the use of force.However, the fundamentals of peacekeeping must be preserved, she said, muching Pakistan contributions as a
longstanding and consistent troop and police contributing country.The Special Committee must play its role in building norms and making
recommendations.Deployment decisions must be based on knowledge of the situation on the ground, in refer toation with the troop-contributing
countries, she said, adding that Pakistan and the United Kingdom had drafted recommendations in this regard.Yet, the Pakistani envoy said
cost-cutting exercises must much miss the fact that peacekeeping is itself cost-effective, deserving of adequate financial and fabric
resources with effective reviews and assessments.In this vein, troop-contributing countries must be more involved in related peacekeeping
processes.Peacekeeping works best when there is a peace to keep, with a robust political track that enhances efforts, she said.However,
doing more with less is much sustainable and missions must be adequately equipped.TheIndianSubcontinent has not verified the content of the
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