Pakistan backs efforts for political settlement of Yemen issue

Mumtaz Hussain

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has thrown its back behind United Nations and regional countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and Oman, in their efforts to reach a political settlement of the Yemeni conflict.

In a statement during the UN Security Council briefing on Yemen, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Munir Akram called upon all parties to the conflict to prioritize dialogue as part of a Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned political process to resolve their differences through peaceful means.

“Humanitarian crisis in Yemen is one of the gravest in the world with nearly half the population — 17 million people — facing severe food insecurity, and with 3.5 million suffering from acute malnutrition. The impact of climate change, including floods and droughts, further exacerbates the humanitarian crisis, displacing 4.5 million people,” he said.

Ambassador Munir Akram stressed the need for a coordinated effort to resolve the humanitarian crisis, urging donor countries to increase their contributions to the 2025 humanitarian response plan for Yemen.

He also expressed concern about Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s civilian infrastructure, including Sana’a International Airport, Red Sea ports and power stations and said that these have deepened the dire humanitarian and political crisis in Yemen.

“We are also deeply concerned over Houthi attacks on commercial and maritime vessels in the Red Sea, which threaten global trade, regional stability and the environment,” he added.

According to the envoy, a significant progress was made in December 2023 peace negotiations which led to agreements to stop hostilities through a nationwide ceasefire. There is a  need for preserving these gains, by establishing a roadmap and fully implementing commitments to foster sustainable peace in the country.

The ambassador told the Security Council that the Yemen situation cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader regional dynamics, including the ongoing Israeli military onslaught in Gaza. He termed diplomacy and dialogue as the only viable paths to achieving lasting peace in Yemen.