Syed Qamar Afzal Rizvi
ON Monday, the NUST Centre for Peace and Stability (CIPS) hosted a seminar on ‘’Pakistan’s Role in UN Peacekeeping Missions’’. The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was the chief guest. As for the UN Peace Mission, its peacekeeping operations are conducted by the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the Department of Field Support (DFS). These operations are meant to create conditions for sustainable peace; may it be confidence-building measures, power-sharing arrangements, electoral support, strengthening the rule of law, economic and social development or protection of civilians in war-ravaged lands; the men and women of Pakistan Army have risen above all expectations and served the humanity. The UN peacekeeping doctrine is based on the important notion that whilst UN peacekeeping operations are meant to support a peace process, it cannot deliver peace on its own.
Proverbially, Pakistan’s commitment to the UN for promoting international peace and prosperity—is principally based on the vision of Quaid-i-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah:- “Our foreign policy is one of friendliness and goodwill towards all the nations of the world. We believe in the principle of honesty and fair play in national and international dealings and are prepared to make our utmost contribution to the promotion of peace and prosperity among the nations of the world. Pakistan will never be found lacking in extending its material and moral support to the oppressed and suppressed peoples of the world and in upholding the principles of the United Nations Charter.”
Needless to say, since its creation, Pakistan has significantly played a rich role as UN member, in fostering peace via proactive diplomatic, moral and material support in various regions of the world. And importantly, Pakistan defence forces have been playing the role in UN peacekeeping measures, during war and peacetime. But not surprisingly, one of the most vexing issues being posed before the international community since the end of the cold war is the use of force by United Nations peacekeeping forces. Obviously, the UN intervention in civil wars—as in Somalia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Rwanda — has entertained the difficulty of peacekeepers operating in situations where consent to their presence and activities is somewhat fragile and where there is little peace to keep.
In the broad sense, the spectrum of contemporary peace operations remains unavoidable as it includes both United Nations-led peace operations, as well as those conducted by other actors, particularly via the UNSC approval. This guidance document focuses on only one element of that spectrum: In all respective global peace operations, Pakistan peacekeeping troops performed proverbially in the Four Continents by participating in 46 peace operations…The three peace operations in which the UN’s disinclination to use force was overcome on a significant scale—in the Congo in 1960–64, in Bosnia & Herzegovina in 1992–95 and in Somalia in 1993–95—were traumatic experiences for the UN. During the cold war era, even though the UN operated in a number of intra-state environments, only the Congo Mission triggered a significant debate about the use of force by peacekeepers. With the end of the cold war, the sheer number, level of ambition and complexity of UN missions occasioned public and often passionate debate.
Doctrinally, the UN peacekeeping missions faced some fundamental questions: when and how should peacekeepers use force to rightly protect themselves; to protect the mission and, most importantly, to ensure recalcitrant parties’ compliance with peace accords? Is a peace enforcement role for peacekeepers possible or is this simply war by another name? To provide suitable answers to these questions, the UN for the first time in history, conceived a peace doctrine known as Capstone doctrine in 2008. Academically, the said doctrine sits on top of the large number of directives, guidelines, standard operating procedures, manuals and training material issued by DPKO and the new Department of Field Support (DFS) over the years, not unlike the capstone of an arch or other structure that locks it together through the authority of its downward pressure.
Yet conceptually, the 2008 doctrine promptly and profoundly re-confirms and provides a contemporary understanding of how practitioners might apply the UN’s three basic peacekeeping principles, namely: consent, impartiality and non-use of force, except in self-defence and defence of the mandate. This doctrine fundamentally argues that the UN is best suited to undertake consent-based operations via robust peacekeeping’ to signify recognition that the use of force is pertinent at the tactical level. Yet since 2013, the unilateral use of force to neutralise Armed Groups in the DRC has been rightly included in the lexicon of UN peacekeeping mandates— which gave a new dimension to the already multifaceted phenomenon of complex peacekeeping. While addressing the NUST seminar the UN Secretary-General Guterres said that 150,000 Pakistanis were represented in these peace missions, positively adding that 157 of them lost their lives for global peace. Pakistan has contributed its peacekeepers to the 46 UN peacekeeping missions. While espousing the proud tradition of the Pakistani armed forces in the peacekeeping, 78 Pakistan Army woman peacekeepers are imparting their role under the umbrella of the UN in various roles across the world.
Today, Pakistan holds diversity as one of the largest troop-contributing countries in the world with one of the highest peacekeepers. The casualty figure is indicative of its commitment and endeavours towards promoting the UN peacekeeping doctrine in the world’s conflict-ridden areas. Truly, Pakistan Army’s history is replete with exemplary sacrifices, services to humanity and promoting collective security for human prosperity. The NUST has established a new department focusing on the capacity building of personnel engaged in UN Peacekeeping Missions worldwide. This is largely done by providing practical knowledge of conflict prevention, peacemaking, peace enforcement and peace building to military personnel, police and civilians from Pakistan and abroad. This pivotal training programmes of the department equips the participants with both theoretical and practical knowledge of UN Peacekeeping Operations. And yes, at the CIPS, this is a creative dimension of Pakistan global peace and stability mission. The Training Courses have been designed to cater to the needs of the UN Integrated Training Service (UNITS).
—The writer, an independent ‘IR’ researcher-cum-analyst based in Pakistan, is member of European Consortium for Political Research Standing Group on IR, Critical Peace & Conflict Studies, also a member of Washington Foreign Law Society and European Society of International Law.
