- Pakistan calls for ceasefire, lifting of blockade, and humanitarian access.
- Says urgent political process needed for a sovereign Palestinian state.
- Stresses forced displacement, military action threaten civilian survival.
At the United Nations Security Council, Pakistan welcomed US President Donald Trump’s initiative to advance a peace plan for Gaza and the wider Middle East, in coordination with eight OIC and Arab states.
Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, told the Council members that Islamabad would actively participate in the consultative process to support a sustainable resolution.
“We value the initiative of President Donald Trump, working with eight OIC and Arab countries to advance peace through concrete measures,” Ahmad said, addressing a briefing on the Middle East, including the Question of Palestine (SCR 2334).
“As a participant in this consultative process, Pakistan will closely engage and play a constructive role in promoting consensus,” Ahmad said, stressing that the goal is to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians and achieve a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace consistent with UN resolutions.
President Trump on Monday said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to a US-backed peace plan for Gaza, even as Israeli forces press one of their fiercest offensives in the battered Palestinian enclave.
The proposal calls for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, but its success still hinges on whether Hamas will come on board.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Netanyahu, Trump said they were “beyond very close” to forging an elusive peace deal and that he hoped Hamas would also accept it.
The White House released Trump’s 20-point plan that calls for a ceasefire, a swap of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave, Hamas disarmament and a transitional government led by an international body.
During the UNSC session, Ambassador Ahmad further said that for over two years, the Council has been seized with the unbearable tragedy unfolding in Gaza and the rest of the Palestinian Territory.
He added that the suffering of Palestinians continues to grow, quoting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif from last week: “The plight of the Palestinian people is one of the most heart-wrenching tragedies of our times.”
More than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed, the vast majority women and children, the envoy said, adding, “Gaza is not only being bombed from the sky; its people are being starved on the ground. Homes, schools and hospitals have been reduced to rubble.”
The expansion of military operations in Gaza City is a catastrophe before our eyes, risking the forced displacement of nearly a million people who have no safe refuge left, the ambassador stressed.
He highlighted ongoing threats to the two-state solution, particularly the E-1 settlement plan.
“The E-1 settlement plan is a direct assault on the two-state framework, threatening to sever East Jerusalem from Palestinian areas and dismantle the contiguity of the West Bank. Such policies are not only unjust; they are unlawful.
“They violate international law and Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2334, which declared settlements illegal and demanded an immediate halt,” Ahmad said, warning that continued defiance undermines the Council’s credibility.
The ambassador outlined Pakistan’s calls to the Security Council, including an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, lifting the blockade, unimpeded humanitarian access, release of hostages and prisoners, an end to forced displacement and settlement activity, and practical steps to implement Resolution 2334.
He also urged the launch of a credible political process leading to a sovereign and viable Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
“The people of Palestine cannot wait. The cause of peace and the credibility of this Council depend on what we do in this moment.
“Pakistan will continue to stand with the people of Palestine, and to work with Council members and other partners towards a just and lasting peace for all in the region,” Ahmad concluded.
