NEW YORK : Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, underscored Pakistan’s longstanding commitment to UN peacekeeping and called for renewed international action on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.He was addressing the UN Security Council briefing today on “Adapting Peace Operations for the Pursuit of Political Solutions – Priorities and Challenges.”
Ambassador Asim noted that Pakistan has contributed over 235,000 peacekeepers to 48 missions across four continents, with 182 personnel sacrificing their lives in service to peace. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s position as one of the top troop contributors and a founding member of the UN Peace building Commission.In his statement, Ambassador Asim emphasized that political solutions must remain at the heart of all UN peace operations. He said that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute remains a test case for the UN’s credibility in upholding international peace and justice.”The imperative of political solutions is obvious. Nowhere is this more urgently needed than in Jammu and Kashmir — a longstanding dispute on this Council’s agenda. The Security Council must fulfill its obligations and make concerted efforts to secure a just and lasting solution in accordance with its own resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people,” he said.