United Nations (TDI): Pakistan told the United Nations Security Council that the entire world community is on the side of Palestinians after the US became the only member to oppose a draft resolution seeking an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and vowed to return to the UNSC so that it shoulders its responsibility to restore peace in Palestine
Speaking after the vote, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, called the outcome a “sad day” in the history of the Council, where 14 of the 15 members backed the resolution, but the US stood alone in opposition.
“The veto cast today sends an extremely dangerous message: that the lives of over two million Palestinians, besieged, starved, and relentlessly bombarded, are dispensable,” Ambassador Asim told a somber gathering at the UN’s iconic Security Council chamber. “This is not just a humanitarian crisis, it is the collapse of humanity.”
He made it clear that Pakistan would not remain silent in the face of what he described as systemic violence against Palestinians. “We are not going to lay idle. We shall revert to this Council as and when required,” he stated, adding that Pakistan remains committed to peace and will continue calling for accountability and an end to Israeli impunity.
The Pakistani envoy lashed out at the familiar justification offered by the US and its allies, that “this is not the right time” for a ceasefire resolution. “How much more space do we need, space filled with rubble, graves, and the anguished cries of children?” he asked. “What more evidence do we need before we say enough?”
Ambassador Asim cited staggering figures of human loss and destruction in Gaza: over 54,000 civilians killed, including 28,000 women and girls and 18,000 children. In the previous 24 hours alone, nearly 100 Palestinians had been killed and more than 400 injured, he said. “Famine stalks the land. Disease and despair now spread more quickly than aid can arrive.”
Pakistan’s envoy accused the international system of failing to uphold its legal and moral obligations. “This Council has been muzzled, but the world has spoken,” he said, referencing recent decisions by the International Court of Justice and overwhelming votes in the UN General Assembly in support of Palestinian rights.
He strongly condemned Israeli strikes on civilians seeking food and water, calling them war crimes. “To kill innocent civilians for seeking bread and water is not only a war crime, it is a tragic indictment of a system that criminalizes survival and militarizes humanitarian aid.” “Aid dropped from the sky or delivered under armed escort is not a solution, it is a spectacle,” he added.
Read More: Peace and Occupation Cannot Co-exist: Pakistan on Gaza
Reaffirming Pakistan’s longstanding support for the Palestinian cause, the ambassador reiterated Islamabad’s call for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire; full humanitarian access; an end to the Gaza blockade; and a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of a sovereign Palestinian state.
Read More: Pakistan Demands End to Israeli Blockade of Gaza
Ambassador Asim also highlighted growing global consensus in support of Palestinian statehood. He pointed to the upcoming International High-Level Conference on Palestine and the Two-State Solution to be held later this month at the UN General Assembly, which he said would deliver “a resounding call for Palestinian rights and an irreversible path to full UN membership.”
He ended with a sharp warning to the Security Council: “We urge the holdouts to do the same, before Gaza becomes not only a wound on the world’s conscience but a permanent scar on the credibility of this Council.”
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
