NEW YORK – Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations (UN)Maleeha Lodhi on Wednesday said the UN’s stance on the Kashmir issue putsthe Security Council’s credibility at stake.

Speaking at the UNSC’s debate on Mediation and Settlement of Disputes,Lodhi said the international community cannot succeed if the SecurityCouncil’s own resolutions are held in abeyance.

The long-standing dispute over Kashmir remains on the Council’s agenda,with the 15-member body having said “the final disposition of the State ofKashmir will be made in accordance with the will of the people expressedthrough a democratic, free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices ofthe UN.”

She urged the UNSC to make frequent use of the secretary-general’s goodoffices and other possibilities for mediation and reconciliation.

“We are happy to note that the secretary-general is working to expand thepool of high-level envoys and senior mediators,” she said.

Hailing the active participation of women during the peace process, sheadded, “This anachronism must end.”

Giving an example of the successful mediations in Colombia and betweenGreece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ambassador Lodhiadded that the world seems to be afflicted by ever more complex conflicts.

“While the Council could refer disputes to the International Court ofJustice (ICJ) for an advisory opinion if not a legal decision oradjudication, it should also utilise its mandatory enforcement authorityunder Chapter VII of the Charter to refer a dispute to the ICJ whosedetermination would thereafter be binding on the parties, irrespective ofwhether or not they had accepted the jurisdiction of the Court,” she stated.