Pakistan has told the UN General Assembly that the ‘Responsibility to Protect’, once heralded as a global commitment that aims to prevent and respond to atrocity crimes, including genocide, has been “rendered meaningless” by selective application, double standards, and politicization.
“Gaza, Kashmir, and countless other situations bear witness to its moral bankruptcy — and to the urgent need for a credible, principled, and impartial approach to the protection of the world’s most vulnerable,” Ambassador Usman Jadoon, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, said, while participating in a debate on the controversial doctrine of R2P.
(The concept of R2P , which was endorsed by the General Assembly in 2005, rests upon three pillars: the responsibility of each State to protect its populations; the responsibility of the international community to assist States in protecting their populations; and the responsibility of the international community to protect when a State is manifestly failing to protect its populations.)
“The so-called Responsibility to Protect, once trumpeted as a universal moral duty, now stands forgotten — a casualty of double standards and political convenience,” Ambassador Jadoon told delegates.
“Pushed with great zeal when useful, the doctrine has been quietly abandoned where its application is most urgent. Its selective invocation has turned what was meant to be a shield for the vulnerable into a smokescreen for inaction,” he said, adding, ” Its selective invocation has turned what was meant to be a shield for the vulnerable into a smokescreen for inaction.”
“Gaza lays bare this moral bankruptcy,” Ambassador Jadoon said, noting , “Those who once sermonized about R2P now obstruct even the most basic calls for accountability.”
“When principles are applied only where power permits, they are no longer principles at all — but merely instruments of politics”.
Over 55,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children — have been killed in Israel’s brutal military campaign, with over a hundred thousand injured, it was pointed out. Entire neighborhoods have been flattened, hospitals destroyed, and humanitarian workers systematically targeted. Famine is being used as a weapon of war.
“And all of this is unfolding in full view of the world,” ambassador Jadoon chided, asserting, “Gaza lays bare this moral bankruptcy.”
On the other hand, In occupied Jammu and Kashmir, nearly 900,000 Indian troops have waged a campaign of terror for decades — extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and systemic discrimination have become the norm. The rise of the hateful Hindutva ideology has further deepened this crisis, exposing Muslims and other minorities to pogroms, mob lynching, and openly proclaimed threats of genocide.
“The alarm bells sounded by credible international human rights bodies have been ignored, allowing these atrocities to continue unchecked,”the Pakistan envoy said.
India’s “blatant and illegal” aggression of 6–7 May 2025, which targeted civilian areas, claimed 35 civilians, including 15 children, he said. “In response, Pakistan acted with utmost restraint — limiting its measures exclusively to verified military targets.”
“The international community has repeatedly failed to address the root causes of conflict, missing chances to act before violence takes hold,” the Pakistani envoy said. “Instead of reacting to crises, states and institutions must invest in early warning systems, inclusive policies, and legal protections that prevent marginalization and discrimination.
“Without tackling these structural drivers, the conditions for atrocity crimes will continue to thrive. Prevention is not optional — it is the most effective yet most neglected tool we have.”
In conclusion, Ambassador Jadoon said, “If R2P is to retain any credibility, it must be applied universally — not as an instrument of geopolitical calculation, but as a genuine commitment to human dignity and protection.”