UNITED NATIONS, Jan 28: Pakistan has informed the UN Security Council of its backing for the US-led Board of Peace (BoP), aligning with the council’s resolution 2803. This resolution reaffirms the council’s commitment to fostering lasting peace based on Palestinian self-determination and statehood, grounded in international law.
Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, emphasized during a debate on the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue, that it is the international community’s duty, particularly the Council’s, to convert this renewed engagement into tangible change beneficial to the Palestinian people. His remarks came as the 26-member Board was announced.
Ambassador Ahmad highlighted the unresolved Palestinian question as central to Middle Eastern instability, underscoring that decades of Israeli occupation have led to dispossession, repression, and the denial of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.
He noted significant steps like the beginning of the second phase of the Peace Plan, which includes establishing the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) and the formation of the BoP and Executive Committees. These measures are expected to consolidate the ceasefire, secure a permanent cessation of hostilities, facilitate transitional arrangements, support recovery and reconstruction, ensure extensive humanitarian aid, and lay the groundwork for a sustainable political process towards Palestinian self-determination and statehood.
Expressing concern over Gaza’s fragile situation, Ambassador Ahmad highlighted ongoing ceasefire violations and risks to civilian lives. He emphasized that international humanitarian organizations face pressures like deregistration and operational restrictions, hindering assistance and protection for the most vulnerable.
The Pakistani envoy condemned Israel’s continued attacks on UN premises and UNRWA, the agency aiding Palestinians, referring to the recent demolition of a UN compound in Sheikh Jarrah, occupied East Jerusalem. He stated that such actions undermine stabilization efforts and jeopardize the limited progress achieved thus far. He asserted that UNRWA’s operations are essential and must be protected.
Ambassador Ahmad mentioned that Pakistan, along with Arab and Islamic countries in the group of eight, has joined the Board of Peace to support its Security Council-endorsed mandate under resolution 2803. A joint statement by the foreign ministers of the group reiterated support for the peace efforts led by US President Donald Trump.
This statement confirmed their commitment to executing the Peace Board’s mission as a transitional administration. The mission, outlined in the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict and sanctioned by resolution 2803, aims at consolidating a permanent ceasefire, supporting Gaza’s reconstruction, and advancing a just and lasting peace rooted in Palestinian self-determination and statehood, thereby promoting regional security and stability.
Ambassador Ahmad expressed hope that under resolution 2803, the BoP will initiate practical steps towards enacting a permanent ceasefire, augmenting humanitarian aid, reconstructing Gaza, and achieving Palestinian self-determination through a legitimate, timely political process consistent with international legitimacy and relevant UN resolutions. This process should result in an independent, sovereign, and contiguous State of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds and Al-Sharif as its capital.
“That is the ultimate goal supported by the international community,” the Pakistani envoy added, highlighting that Palestinian-led governance and institutional strengthening, with the Palestinian Authority playing a central role, are crucial in this regard.
