Kashmir Solution is the Responsibility of UNSC, Permanent Members: Pakistan

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, who began his term as President of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for July, urged the council and its permanent members on Wednesday to resolve the Kashmir dispute.

He emphasised that the Kashmir issue is a source of ongoing tensions and friction between India and Pakistan.

“It is time that this (Kashmir dispute) be addressed, and I would say this is not only a responsibility of Pakistan, we are here temporarily, two years as a non-permanent member,” he said while speaking at a press conference at the UN Headquarters in New York.

He continued, “I think it’s the responsibility of the Security Council itself, and particularly the permanent members, to see that they take certain steps to actually get their own resolutions implemented. That’s the way forward.”

Pakistan’s Presidency Agenda at UNSC

Before the press conference, the 15-member UNSC met and approved the programme of work for July.

Ambassador Iftikhar said Pakistan’s approach to the presidency is based on the UN Charter’s core values, peaceful dispute settlement, sovereign equality, multilateralism, and respect for international law.

He announced that Pakistan would host two key high-level debates: one on “Promoting International Peace and Security through Multilateralism and Peaceful Settlement of Disputes” on July 22, and another on “UN-OIC cooperation” on July 24.

Both will be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar.

Dar will also preside over the quarterly open debate on the situation in Palestine on July 23.

“These debates stem from the reality that today’s crises often emerge from unresolved disputes, the erosion of international obligations, and the under-utilisation of peaceful means enshrined in Chapter VI of the Charter,” Ambassador Iftikhar stated.

Kashmir and the UN Agenda

Addressing the Kashmir issue, Ambassador Iftikhar reminded that the dispute is already on the Security Council’s agenda under the “India-Pakistan question” and that the Council has passed multiple resolutions on it.

He highlighted that these resolutions recognise the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.

“It is a festering dispute and has several dimensions,” he said.

“This is an issue that has been there unresolved. It is a cause of tensions and frictions between India and Pakistan,” he added.