NEW YORK : Pakistan has urged the UN Security Council to fulfill itsresponsibilities with respect to implementation of its resolutions onKashmir, Palestine and other long-standing disputes, to usher in peace andsecurity in the conflict-ridden world.
Speaking in a Security Council debate on the situation in the Middle East,Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dr Maleeha Lodhiwarned that if the world body fails in this regard, people around the worldwould completely lose their faith in it.
Ambassador Lodhi reaffirmed Pakistan’s continued support to the legitimateaspirations of people living under foreign occupation in Palestine, Kashmirand elsewhere. Describing the global peace and security landscape to beplagued by mounting and complex challenges, Ambassador Lodhi said that“Conflicts have intensified and new dangers have emerged while infundamental ways, the world has gone in reverse”.
Commenting on the volatile situation in the Middle East, Ambassador Lodhisaid that the two-state solution was in peril.
“The plight of the Palestinian people is being betrayed at the altar ofnarrow and myopic political interests and the quest for peace and stabilityin the region is becoming more elusive than ever”, she asserted. Arguingthat occupiers have no case to make other than to create alternate facts,Ambassador Lodhi criticized those speakers in the Security Council whotried to deflect attention away from the tragedy of the Palestinian peopleduring the debate. She voiced Pakistan’s deep concern over the financialconstraints faced by United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), whoseactivities are a lifeline for Palestinian refugees.
“The unfortunate situation has been aggravated by the unilateral decisionof a major UNRWA donor to withhold more than half it’s funding to theorganization”, Ambassador Lodhi said and urged the international communityto ensure sufficient and sustainable financing for UNRWA.
“The international community must not fail the Palestinian refugees”, sheremarked. Criticizing the recent decision by certain countries to relocatetheir Embassies to Jerusalem, the Pakistani envoy said that this hasfurther inflamed the security situation in the Middle East. The legalstatus of Jerusalem is unambiguous, Ambassador Lodhi said, pointing toseveral Security Council and General Assembly resolutions which affirm thatall legislative and administrative measures taken by the occupying power toalter the character and status of Jerusalem are ‘null and void’.
“Security Council Resolution 478 in fact calls on states that haveestablished their diplomatic missions in Jerusalem to withdraw them fromthe Holy City”, she added. She asserted that any contrary action wastherefore, not only a manifest violation of the Resolution but also ablatant attempt to legitimize Israel’s illegal occupation of East Jerusalem.
The Pakistani envoy told the 15-member Council that the Middle East canonly secure peace if it is built on the foundation of justice – animperative that entails a viable, independent and contiguous State ofPalestine on the basis of internationally agreed parameters, the pre-1967borders and with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of the Palestinian State.
Speaking on the situation in Yemen, Ambassador Lodhi called for a massivehumanitarian surge to address the suffering of the Yemeni people,especially women and children. This, she said must complement a surge indiplomacy that was essential to kick-start an inclusive political process.
On Syria, she said that continued engagement by all sides in genuine,representative and direct intra-Syrian negotiations was the only wayforward towards finding a political settlement of the conflict.