UNITED NATIONS, Jan 28: Pakistan addressed the UN Security Council on Wednesday, announcing its support for the US-led Board of Peace (BoP) under Security Council resolution 2803. This resolution reaffirms the commitment to efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace based on Palestinian self-determination and statehood in accordance with international law.
“The international community, particularly this Council, bears the responsibility to translate renewed engagement into measurable change on the ground for the betterment of the Palestinian people,” stated Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, during a debate on the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question, coinciding with the announcement of the 26-member Board.
He emphasized that the unresolved Palestinian issue remains central to instability in the Middle East, and decades of Israeli occupation have resulted in dispossession, repression, and the denial of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.
Noting the commencement of the second phase of the Peace Plan, which includes establishing the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), the Board of Peace, and Executive Committees, the Pakistani envoy mentioned these measures should consolidate the ceasefire, secure a permanent cessation of hostilities, facilitate transitional arrangements, enable recovery and reconstruction, ensure humanitarian assistance on a large scale, and prepare the ground for a sustainable and credible political process toward Palestinian self-determination and statehood.
Ambassador Ahmad also expressed deep concern over Gaza’s fragile situation, with ongoing ceasefire violations and civilian lives at risk. “Increased pressure on international humanitarian organizations, including deregistration measures and restrictions on humanitarian operations, are hindering assistance and protection for the most vulnerable,” he noted.
The Pakistani envoy strongly condemned Israel’s continued attacks on UN premises, including the recent demolition of the UN compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, declaring such actions undermine stabilization efforts and threaten the limited progress achieved. “UNRWA’s operations remain essential and must be safeguarded,” he insisted.
Highlighting Pakistan’s collaboration with other Arab and Islamic countries within the group of 8, he noted they joined the Board of Peace in support of its mandate as endorsed by Security Council resolution 2803. He referenced a joint statement from the group’s Foreign Ministers, reiterating their support for peace efforts led by US President Donald Trump.
The statement reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the Peace Board’s mission as a transitional administration, set out in the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict and endorsed by resolution 2803. This aims at consolidating a permanent ceasefire, supporting Gaza’s reconstruction, and advancing a just and lasting peace rooted in the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood in accordance with international law, thereby paving the way for security and stability for all countries and peoples of the region.
In this regard, Ambassador Ahmad expressed hope that the BoP, under the framework of resolution 2803, will lead to concrete steps towards implementing a permanent ceasefire, further scaling up humanitarian aid, Gaza’s reconstruction, and realizing the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination through a credible, time-bound political process, consistent 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.
“That is the ultimate goal supported by the international community. Palestinian-led governance and institutional strengthening—with a central role of the Palestinian Authority—are indispensable in this regard,” the Pakistani envoy concluded.
