Pakistan seeks tough global action to defeat fascist ideologies

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan called for “concerted” global action to defeat resurging fascist ideologies at a solemn meeting of the UN General Assembly held on Tuesday to commemorate victims of the Second World War.

“We are, unfortunately, witnessing a global resurgence of fascist ideologies, hate speech, xenophobia, Islamophobia, incitement to violence and acts of brutal violence,” Pakistani delegate Saad Warraich said at the commemoration ceremony where homage was paid to the sacrifice of the war victims.

“These trends have been exacerbated, rather than ameliorated, by the Covid-19 pandemic- the most serious global crisis since the founding of the United Nations,” he added.

Noting that grave crimes against humanity was the Second World War’s tragic legacy, the Pakistani delegate stressed the same mistake should not be repeated by turning a blind eye to contemporary and emerging threats.

“Only then can we fulfill the Charter’s abiding ideal of saving succeeding generations from the ‘scourge of war’ and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,”

The Second World War, which lasted from 1939-1945, led to the formation of the UN and its pledge “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, as outlined in the UN Charter, the Organization’s founding document.

Describing the Second World War as “most destructive” in human history, Warraich said, “As fascist ideologies based on atavistic notions of ‘racial’ superiority sought to impose their totalitarian outlook across the globe, millions of lives were lost to this unsatiated ambition for hegemony and global domination.

“From the verdant battlefields of East Asia to the vast desert expanses of the Middle East and Africa, the people of the subcontinent including from areas constituting Pakistan – though under the colonial yoke – scripted a tale of unmatched heroism and valour in this struggle.”

A policy of appeasement emboldens fascist ideologies, the Pakistani delegate said, adding that concerted global action was required to defeat them.