ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad on Monday said that the “root cause of instability in South Asia remains India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir,” which, he added, was in “gross violation” of the United Nations Security Council resolutions.
While speaking at the Security Council during an open debate on reaffirmation of international law, Pakistan’s permanent representative at UN said Pakistan itself has experienced violations of international law.
“Last May, India carried out an unprovoked military aggression in breach of international law and Pakistan’s sovereignty,” the ambassador said, stating that, in response, Pakistan exercised its “inherent right of self-defense in a responsible, restrained, and proportionate manner” as per Article 51 of the UN Charter.
The ambassador reaffirmed that respect for international law remained the only legitimate norm governing inter-state conduct, stating that Pakistan’s response ensured “there can be no ‘new normal’ based on coercion or impunity.”
“The continued denial of the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people has grave human rights consequences and imperils durable peace,” the ambassador said.
He said that India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty was another “blatant breach of international obligations, threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions and endangering peace and security.”
“Pakistan rejects the weaponization of water and other natural resources. Treaty compliance is a cornerstone of the international legal order,” he said.
The ambassador also said that “selective application of legal norms, erosion of treaty obligations, and unilateral actions have weakened trust among states and strained the multilateral system anchored in the UN Charter.”
Right of reply
Pakistan also responded to remarks made by the Indian representative during the same debate, according to a statement issued by the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations on X.
Exercising Pakistan’s right of reply, Secretary Zulifqar Ali said India had made what he described as “spurious claims” to divert attention from its actions in Jammu and Kashmir.
“It is an old ploy in India’s playbook to level preposterous calumnies against Pakistan to deflect criticism from its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement said, adding that the territory “has never been a part of India” and remains disputed under United Nations Security Council resolutions.
"India itself had brought the Kashmir issue to the United Nations and had committed to a United Nations-supervised plebiscite, but now “stubbornly refuses to honour its international obligations” and continues to violate international law and relevant Security Council resolutions." the statement said.
Secretary Zulifqar Ali also criticized India’s conduct on regional issues, saying that “sermons on law, justice and fairness ring hollow” from a country accused by Pakistan of planning destabilizing activities in the region.
Referring to India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, he said the move threatened to affect Pakistan’s agricultural heartland, calling it an attempt to use water as a tool of pressure. He said Pakistan would respond to what he termed a “provocation” with resolve.
Ali further said that India’s internal policies had negatively affected its social fabric, alleging discrimination against minorities.
“India represents a classic case study of how tyranny of majoritarianism can disrupt the social fabric of a political entity,” he said, adding that claims of being the world’s largest democracy could not mask “state-sanctioned pogroms” against religious and ethnic minorities.
He urged India to “fulfil its international legal obligations by implementing United Nations Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, end the repression and systematic grave violations of human rights of the Kashmiris, and pursue a path of dialogue and diplomacy for peace and stability in the region.”
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