UNITED NATIONS, Jan 28: Pakistan addressed the UN Security Council on Wednesday, announcing its participation in the US-led Board of Peace (BoP) in compliance with the Council’s resolution 2803. This resolution reaffirms the international commitment to achieving lasting peace through Palestinian self-determination and statehood in line with international law.
“The international community, particularly this Council, has the responsibility to convert renewed engagement into concrete improvements for the Palestinian people,” stated Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, during a debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue. This session coincided with the launch of the 26-member Board.
He emphasized the unresolved Palestinian question as a core source of Middle Eastern instability, highlighting decades of Israeli occupation leading to dispossession, repression, and denial of Palestinian self-determination.
With the initiation of the second phase of the Peace Plan, including the establishment of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), the BoP, and Executive Committees being “important steps,” Ambassador Ahmad stated these should help solidify the ceasefire, secure a permanent end to hostilities, support transitional arrangements, enable recovery and reconstruction, ensure large-scale humanitarian aid, and lay the groundwork for a sustainable political process towards Palestinian self-determination and statehood.
However, Ambassador Ahmad expressed deep concern over the precarious situation in Gaza, where ceasefire violations persist, risking civilian lives. “Increased pressure on international humanitarian organizations, including deregistration and restrictions on humanitarian operations, impede assistance and protection for the most vulnerable,” he added.
The envoy strongly condemned Israel’s ongoing attacks on UN premises and UNRWA, its agency for assisting Palestinians, including the recent demolition of a UN compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, which he said undermines stabilization efforts and threatens the limited progress achieved. “UNRWA’s operations are essential and must be protected.”
Referencing Pakistan’s collaboration with Arab and Islamic nations in the group of 8, he reiterated their joint support for the BoP’s mandate, as endorsed by Security Council resolution 2803. This group issued a statement reaffirming their commitment to implementing the Peace Board’s mission as a transitional administration, as outlined in the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, aimed at consolidating a permanent ceasefire, supporting Gaza’s reconstruction, and promoting a just and lasting peace grounded in Palestinian self-determination and statehood as per international law, ensuring security and stability for all regional nations.
Ambassador Ahmad expressed hope that the BoP, under resolution 2803, will lead to concrete steps towards a permanent ceasefire, increased humanitarian aid, Gaza’s reconstruction, and the realization of Palestinian self-determination through a credible political process aligned with international legitimacy and relevant UN resolutions, resulting in an independent, sovereign, and contiguous state of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds and Al-Sharif as its capital.
“This is the ultimate goal supported by the international community. Palestinian-led governance and institutional strengthening, with a central role for the Palestinian Authority, are indispensable in this regard,” the Pakistani envoy concluded.
