Vienna, 17 May 2022 (TDI): The Ambassador of Pakistan to Austria, Aftab Ahmad Khokher addressed the 31st Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ).
The session was held in Vienna. Ambassador Aftab Ahmad Khokher said that crime, in all its forms i.e. corruption, transnational organized crime, and terrorism are a persistent challenge.
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The Ambassador of Pakistan further added that criminal organizations and criminals endanger the stability and peace of the societies along with undermining measures aimed at advancing human rights and sustainable development.
He urged the need to persist at national, regional, and international levels for prevention and combating crime effectively. Along these lines, he cautioned that the crime including terrorism must not be associated with any nationality, civilization, religion, or ethnicity.
Moreover, the Pakistani Ambassador enunciated that a steep rise in incidents of hate speech and hate crimes, as well as actions that cause provocation, has been observed.
As a result, discrimination, hostility, intolerance, and violence against individuals on the basis of their ethnicity, race, religion, or belief has globally become rampant.
The adoption of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) sponsored resolution, by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) announcing 15 March as the “International Day to Combat Islamophobia” was a step in the right direction.
The resolution was passed by consensus. It calls upon the Members States to observe the day to underscore the challenges of racism, prejudice, and violence against Muslims and foster a message of peaceful co-existence, tolerance, and cultural and interfaith harmony.
Besides, human trafficking and smuggling of migrants merited constant attention. The Ambassador of Pakistan reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to fighting Trafficking in Persons concentrating on prevention, effective law enforcement, and respect for rights.
He stressed that legal and free movement of labor was the only solution to fully utilize the potential of the global economy. Ambassador Aftab Khokher went on to say that there was a pressing need to address the challenges in the global anti-corruption framework.
Especially on asset recovery by regarding an additional dedicated protocol on asset recovery and return as part of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), to remove the obstacles and challenges.
Lastly, the Ambassador expressed that Pakistan was committed to countering crimes against women and children in the society. Likewise, the country is committed to improving the current legislative framework to fight physical violence against women.
Moreover, the Parliament of Pakistan recently promulgated the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial), Act in 2021. The Act is the first of its kind thorough law that deals with crimes of physical violence and abuse against children and women.
