Pakistan has voiced disappointment in the United Nations General Assembly over last month’s United States’ veto on a U.N. Security Council draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Israeli war in Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid in the besieged enclave, saying, “Peace cannot be postponed any longer”.
At the same time, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, expressed appreciation for the role played by Denmark in sponsoring the draft resolution on behalf of the Council’s 10 elected members — Pakistan, Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia.
But, he said that the resolution intended to halt the carnage and deliver humanitarian relief was blocked by the US veto- “leaving millions to their unfortunate fate.”
The Pakistani envoy was speaking in the 193-member Assembly, which convened on Tuesday following that veto on Sept. 18 in the 15-member Council aimed at addressing the escalating Gaza crisis and taking into account next steps for peace and accountability.
In April 2022, the Assembly decided to convene within 10 working days of a veto whenever it is cast in the Council.
In his remarks, Ambassador Asim Ahmad said for the Council’s elected ten members, the draft resolution was an urgent effort to answer the cries of a people trapped in bombing, rubble, famine, and despair.
“The failure to move forward was bitterly disappointing,” he said, adding, ” Gaza has been pulverized. Families huddle under broken concrete, searching for children who will never return. Hunger stalks every street; famine has already taken hold in Gaza City and threatens to engulf Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah.”
More than 66,000 Palestinians – the vast majority women and children – have been killed. Homes, schools, and hospitals have been deliberately wiped out.
“This is not war. It is the erasure of a people’s future. Israel, the occupying power, must be held fully accountable,” the Pakistani envoy said.
Pointing out that the anguish of Palestine was at the very heart of this year’s high-level General Debate, he said, “Amid devastation, the voices of conscience have grown louder.”
In this regard, Ambassador Asim Ahmad highlighted the convening of the Two-State Solution Conference, the recognition of Palestine by more states, and the rising calls worldwide for a ceasefire and a durable solution to the Palestinian question, which offer rays of hope in this darkness.
The recent consultations held by US President Donald Trump with the Arab and OIC leaders and the announcement of U.S.’s peace plan, he said, were “noteworthy developments that have been widely welcomed.”
“We hope – cautiously but sincerely, that such initiatives can help deliver what is most urgently needed: an immediate ceasefire, an end to the war, unfettered humanitarian assistance, and, above all, a credible political horizon towards Palestinian statehood.”
The ambassador said Pakistan, as part of these consultations, will work to ensure that efforts are judged not by promises, but by results: stopping the killing, ending the occupation, reuniting families, rebuilding Gaza, and guaranteeing protection and dignity to the Palestinian people.
In the Joint Statement, he said that the foreign ministers of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt welcomed President Trump’s efforts, including his announcement that he would not allow the annexation of the West Bank.
They also reaffirmed their joint commitment to work with the U.S. to end the Gaza war through a comprehensive deal, one that ensures unrestricted delivery of sufficient humanitarian aid, prevents displacement of the Palestinians, secures the release of hostages, achieves full Israeli withdrawal, rebuilds the enclave, and creates a path for a just peace on the basis of the two-state solution, under which Gaza is fully integrated with the West Bank in a Palestinian state, as key to achieving regional stability and security.
“Palestinian people are the masters of their own destiny, and that destiny is freedom,” the Pakistan envoy said. “Palestinians can no longer be denied their right to self-determination.”
Pakistan, he added, will remain steadfast in solidarity with the Palestinian people. “We will stand with all who seek justice, and we will work with all who strive for peace.”
At the outset of the debate, General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said that “a raised hand”, “a simple ‘no'” may appear routine when a permanent member of the Council casts a veto, but the impact is anything but ordinary. “A veto can extinguish hope for those trapped in conflict,” she stressed.
The UN Charter gives the Council the primary responsibility for international peace and security. The veto is not a privilege – it is a solemn responsibility meant to be exercised rarely, with humanity in mind.
In Gaza today, civilians are dying while waiting for food and water, she said. “In the past days and weeks, men, women and children have been killed while sheltering or waiting for food”, she stressed.
The General Assembly has stepped in with the veto initiative, ensuring accountability when the Council is paralyzed. “Each time, this Assembly has been convened, ensuring that the veto is not exercised in silence but subjected to the scrutiny of the international community,” she emphasized.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said his delegation vetoed the resolution because it “failed to condemn Hamas and it failed to recognize Israel’s right to defend itself, amongst other serious defects”.
The U.S., he said, cannot support a text that does not call on Hamas to disarm, does not call for an immediate release of hostages and “does not acknowledge the problems with aid diversion in the Gaza Strip”. Hamas continues to hold 48 hostages, he said, adding that “those who remain alive are captive in a living hell”.
Israel has repeatedly accepted terms that would end the war “including 48 hours ago” at the White House, Ambassador Waltz said.