New York, 28 October 2023 (TDI): Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Munir Akram called for an end to war and killings in Gaza so that a durable two-state solution to the Palestine issue, on October 27.
Ambassador Munir Akram, made the call while speaking at the 10th Emergency Special United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Session.
As he addressed the international community, Ambassador Akram expressed deep concern, stating, “The world is witnessing a human tragedy of epic proportions unfold in front of our eyes.
The Palestinians are being bombed indiscriminately and without mercy or compunction. Their essential lifelines water, food, fuel have been cut off. Over a million have been internally displaced.”
The envoy stated that the world was seeing a human tragedy of epic proportions unfolding in Gaza and that 37 employees of the UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) in Palestine had sadly lost their lives in Israeli attacks.
Pakistan categorically and vehemently denounces Israeli airstrikes as well as the brutal and systematic atrocities committed against the Palestinian people.
The Israeli attacks on people, civilian property, and infrastructure, along with the embargo of food, fuel, and water, as well as the forcible evacuation of people from the occupied land, constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
These actions are blatant breaches of international humanitarian law, he said.
Ambassador Munir Akram made three basic demands. Firstly, he called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
Secondly, he stressed the need for the uninterrupted flow of sufficient humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
Lastly, he emphasized the importance of preventing any further displacement of the Palestinian population, whether within or outside Gaza.
Munir Akram demanded that the international community uphold the Palestinian people’s legal right to fight for their independence from foreign occupation.
Moreover, he also emphasized the importance of thinking about measures to stop this massacre from happening again.
The ambassador urged that the OIC Foreign Ministers’ request to send a protective force to Gaza and even the West Bank to protect the Palestinian people be given serious thought.
Also Read: UNGA adopts resolution for cessation of hostilities in Gaza
Furthermore, Ambassador Akram called for the reaffirmation of the right of the Palestinian people under international law to struggle by all possible means, including armed struggle, to secure their freedom from foreign occupation and exercise their right to self-determination.
In the context of the ongoing conflict, Ambassador Akram emphasized the need for accountability. “Crimes being committed cannot go unpunished,” he stated, urging the international community to consider an accountability mechanism to ensure justice is served.
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