NEW YORK: The Kashmir cause is central to the foreign policy of Pakistan and the issue has to be resolved under the UN resolutions to ensure the right to Self-determination for the people of Kashmir.
This was stated by Ambassador Usman Jadoon, Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, while talking to a 12-member delegation of students from Eckerd College, St. Petersburg Florida, visited the Pakistan Mission today for a country briefing.
Briefing the students about the background of the Kashmir dispute in the context of the partition in 1947, the ambassador emphasized the principle of self-determination, an essential part of the UN Charter.
He said there could neither be sustainable peace in South Asia nor regional economic potential be unlocked unless the longstanding issue of Jammu and Kashmir was resolved in line with the UN Security Council resolutions as well as aspirations of Kashmiris as agreed to by India and Pakistan.
He described Israel’s ongoing genocidal war in Gaza as a failure of the international system characterized by paralysis of the UN Security Council. Unless Palestinians are granted the right to form their State, the broader Middle East region would continue to remain on the boil, threatening peace and stability in the region and beyond, he added.
He also made a strong case for the reform of the UN Security Council to enable the Council to cope with the contemporary challenges to international peace and presented Pakistan’s position on the reform. He said that today’s dysfunctionality of the UNSC was due to the skewed veto system, adding that today’s Security Council does not reflect modern-day realities.
About reforms in the UNSC, the ambassador said Pakistan was opposed to the addition of new permanent members to the Council. He said that as part of Uniting for Consensus (UfC) group, Pakistan wants the reform process to be undertaken in such a way as makes the Council more democratic, more efficient, more transparent and more accountable.
Later, the visiting students asked the Pakistani deputy UN envoy about his country’s position with regards to Artificial Intelligence, nuclear disarmament, role of culture and religion in foreign policy, energy transitions, climate change and peacekeeping and received satisfactory answers.
