Islamabad warns of war with New Delhi, asks UNSC for decisive action

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan’s Ambassador to United Nations Munir Akram on Thursday urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to act “decisively” to prevent a war between New Delhi and Islamabad, and to enable the Kashmiri people to exercise their UN-pledged right to self-determination for peace and stability in South Asia.

“Pakistan does not want war with India,” the Pakistani envoy told the UNSC. However, he warned that if attacked, Islamabad will respond “resolutely and effectively”, like it did in February of last year.

Akram pointed out the world order, based on the UN Charter signed in June 1945, promised to save future generations from the devastation of war, was eroding amid resort to unilateral force, foreign occupation, conflict and ideologies of hate, including Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and fascism.

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“Old political and military blocs are being resurrected, and new ones built, while global growth is declining under the weight of trade and technology wars,” the Pakistani envoy said. He highlighted that international cooperation to address global challenges, like poverty and climate change was also eroding.

“The United Nations is often deliberately marginalised,” he told the UNSC. Akram pointed out that Islamabad seeks to build a new structure of sustainable peace with its neighbours.

Referring to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s consistent stand for political — not military — solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, Akram hoped that the US-Taliban talks, facilitated by Pakistan, would soon result in an agreement enabling the withdrawal of foreign forces, a cessation of violence, an intra-Afghan dialogue and the elimination of terrorism from Afghanistan.

He also cited the prime minister’s efforts to reduce tensions in the Gulf region. “We will not become a party to any regional conflict,” he said. “We will always be a partner for peace.”

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“Recent events have amplified the multiple and complex threats to peace and security in the Middle East: denial of self-determination to the Palestinian people and disruption of the sovereignty and stability of Iraq, Syria and Yemen,” he said.

Calling “unilateral measures” imposed on occupied Kashmir “the first step” in India’s efforts to suppress Muslims and claims that normalcy has been restored “false and duplicitous”, the Pakistani envoy warned that India could initiate another “military adventure” against Pakistan.

India, he said, has issued new political maps, laying claim not only to Indian occupied Kashmir but also Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

“The signals from India of aggressive intent towards Pakistan are unmistakable,” Akram said, referring to the recent threats issued by Indian politicians and military officials.

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He added that India had committed over 3,000 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) in the disputed Kashmir region in 2019. It had cut the fencing in five places and deployed Spike anti-tank and Brahmos cruise missiles along the LoC.

“Pakistan requests the Security Council and the secretary-general to act decisively to prevent a disastrous war between Pakistan and India; to call for an end to the grave human rights violations in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and to enable the Kashmiri people to exercise their right to self-determination promised to them in the resolutions of this Council,” he added.