- Envoy Asim Ahmad says US veto blocked urgent effort to halt carnage, deliver aid in Gaza, highlighting over 66,000 Palestinians killed, majority women and children
- Reiterate Pakistan’s resolve to stand by Palestinians, demand accountability and justice
NEW YORK: Pakistan has voiced strong disappointment at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) over the United States’ veto of a Security Council resolution seeking a ceasefire in Gaza, warning that “peace cannot be postponed any longer” as the war continues to devastate the besieged enclave.
Speaking after the Sept 18 veto in the 15-member Council, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said the resolution — backed by all 10 elected Council members — was aimed at halting the carnage and delivering urgent humanitarian aid, but the US veto had “left millions to their unfortunate fate.” He expressed appreciation to Denmark for sponsoring the draft on behalf of Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Somalia, and Pakistan.
Calling the Council’s failure “bitterly disappointing,” the envoy painted a grim picture of Gaza, where more than 66,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children — have been killed, and homes, schools, and hospitals “deliberately wiped out.” He stressed: “This is not war. It is the erasure of a people’s future. Israel, the occupying power, must be held fully accountable.”
At the UNGA debate, convened under the Assembly’s new “veto initiative,” Ambassador Ahmad underscored that the anguish of Palestine dominated this year’s high-level discussions. He pointed to growing international momentum — including new recognitions of Palestine, the convening of a Two-State Solution Conference, and recent consultations led by US President Donald Trump with Arab and OIC leaders — as “rays of hope amid devastation.”
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Jordan, UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt welcomed the US peace initiative and pledged to work toward an agreement ensuring a ceasefire, unrestricted aid, release of hostages, full Israeli withdrawal, reconstruction of Gaza, and the realization of a two-state solution.
UNGA President Annalena Baerbock, opening the debate, warned that a Security Council veto “can extinguish hope for those trapped in conflict,” while US Ambassador Mike Waltz defended Washington’s position, saying the draft resolution “failed to condemn Hamas, recognize Israel’s right to self-defense, or address aid diversion.” He added that Hamas still holds 48 hostages “in a living hell” and reiterated support for President Trump’s plan, which calls for Hamas’ disarmament, Gaza’s demilitarization, and its economic redevelopment.
Pakistan, Ambassador Ahmad concluded, will “remain steadfast in solidarity with the Palestinian people” and will judge all initiatives “not by promises, but by results: stopping the killing, ending the occupation, reuniting families, rebuilding Gaza, and securing dignity for the Palestinians.”
