Pakistan urges UN to address Kashmir dispute
Ambassador Asim says issue can no longer be swept under carpet
New York: Pakistan has urged the United Nations to take concrete steps to resolve the decades-old Kashmir dispute, calling it a key cause of friction with India.
According to Kashmir Media Service, speaking at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York after assuming the presidency of the UN Security Council for July, Pakistan’s Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said the issue could no longer be swept under the carpet.
“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. “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,” Ahmad said, adding, “That’s the way forward”.
Ahead of the press conference, the 15-member Council met and approved the programme of work for the month of July.
“Our approach is firmly rooted in the purposes and principles of the UN Charter — peaceful settlement of disputes, sovereign equality, respect for international law and multilateralism,” Ambassador Ahmad told the UN corps of correspondents.
“We aim to: reflect on the effectiveness of dispute settlement mechanisms; discuss obstacles to implementation of Council decisions; explore ways to enhance diplomacy, mediation and technical support; and reinforce the commitments made in the Pact for the Future to preventive diplomacy and peaceful dispute resolution.”
On Kashmir, Ambassador Ahmad also said that all issues on the Security Council’s agenda can be discussed at any time, and the decades-old dispute over the Himalayan state was on the agenda under the India–Pakistan question.
The UN Security Council has pronounced on it in several resolutions that, among other elements, grant the Kashmiri people their right to self-determination, he said. “It is a festering dispute. It has several dimensions,” the Pakistan envoy said, noting its peace and security dimension, political and legal dimension, and also a human rights dimension. “This is an issue that has remained unresolved. It is a cause of tensions and frictions between India and Pakistan. It is impeding the development of friendly relations in our region. It is time that this be addressed,” he added.
The presidency of the Security Council — the world body’s power centre — is part of Pakistan’s two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, which began in January 2025. The presidency rotates monthly among its 15 members in alphabetical order. Pakistan was elected as a non-permanent member with the overwhelming support of the UN membership, securing 182 votes out of 193.
