Mumtaz Hussain
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has called for urgent and concrete steps to protect Palestinian civilians, uphold the ceasefire in Gaza, and advance the two-state solution.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad delivered a strongly worded statement at a UN Security Council briefing on the Middle East.
Addressing the Council, Ambassador Ahmad described the situation in Gaza as a “devastating war” that has persisted for more than two years, causing immense human suffering and leaving “almost the entire socio-economic infrastructure reduced to rubble.” He said over 70,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children — had been killed during the conflict.
The Ambassador highlighted recent diplomatic developments, including the High-Level Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Question, the New York Declaration adopted in September, and the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit, which paved the way for the Council’s adoption of Resolution 2803 last week.
He noted that Pakistan had actively participated in these diplomatic initiatives, including the engagement with then–U.S. President Donald Trump on 23 September, which he said contributed to proposals aimed at ending the war, rebuilding Gaza, and preventing displacement.
Despite these efforts, Ambassador Ahmad said the situation on the ground remained “dire,” citing continued ceasefire violations and Israeli airstrikes that he said had killed more than 300 Palestinians since the ceasefire announcement.
He also condemned escalating settler violence in the West Bank, where October saw “the highest number of settler attacks since UN monitoring began in 2006.”
The Pakistani envoy outlined eight priorities for advancing peace, including full implementation of Resolution 2803, ensuring humanitarian access, preventing forced displacement, halting Israeli settlement expansion, and guaranteeing accountability for violations of international law.
He reiterated Pakistan’s support for a sovereign, independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
