At UNSC, Pakistan says unilateral military actions only deepen conflicts

NEW YORK: Amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East involving Iran and Israel, only to be exacerbated by US strikes on Tehran’s nuclear sites, Pakistan has told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that history reflects that the use of force and unilateral military actions only deepen conflicts and entrench divisions.

“We must act now to prevent the situation from spiralling further out of control [....] Dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path forward,” Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Asim Iftikhar told the UNSC huddle amid increasingly volatile situation in the region.

Speaking at the UNSC, Ambassador Iftikhar echoed the earlier statement issued by the Foreign Office condemning US bombings and backing Iran’s right of self-defence and lamented the attacks on the nuclear sites as “dangerous precedent and pose a grave threat to the safety and security of populations across the region and the world”.

Denouncing the attacks on IAEA-safeguarded facilities, the envoy said that Islamabad has joined China and Russia in circulating a draft resolution calling for an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire”.

The resolution also urges “all parties to refrain from further escalation; demands the urgent protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure; and supports a diplomatic path forward on the Iranian nuclear issue that is acceptable to all parties”.

Reiterating Pakistan’s support for Iran, the UN representative underscored that the sharp rise in tensions and violence as a result of the Israeli aggression and unlawful actions was profoundly disturbing and “any further escalation risks catastrophic consequences for the region and beyond”.

Furthermore, the diplomat urged the UNSC to reaffirm its obligation to protect civilian lives and property on both sides. “All parties must adhere fully to international law, particularly international humanitarian law,” he said while stressing the UN body to “promote urgent recourse to dialogue and diplomacy, consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter” and to find a peaceful and lasting resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue.