Pakistan's Statement at General Assembly Debate on UN Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism

In its statement at the General Assembly session on the Secretary General's Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism on February 12, 2016, Pakistan argued that Israel and Islamophobia (and Donald Trump) were to blame for Islamist terror. In its words:

"Injustices done to peoples under foreign occupation, denial of the right to self-determination, long-festering and unresolved international disputes ... create conditions that are exploited by violent extremists and terrorists to propagate their twisted ideologies...Negative stereotyping, stigmatization, discrimination and intolerance all need to be rectified to prevent violent extremism... Xenophobia, in particular Islamophobia, is on the rise in the West. This has so far gone unchecked and unfortunately unprincipled, xenophobic politicians have sought to build their political fortunes by spreading fear and deliberate mischaracterization of people of other faiths or culture..."