UNITED NATIONS, New York: Pakistan has welcomed US President Donald Trump’s proposed 20-point plan aimed at ending hostilities in Gaza, noting that “history will make note of its response—either to let the plan extinguish the two-State solution, or to seize new opportunities for peace.”
Addressing the UN Security Council briefing on the Middle East and the implementation of the resolution, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, noted that while prospects for peace in Gaza are seemingly eroding, new diplomatic avenues are simultaneously emerging.
We value the initiative of President Donald Trump, working with eight OIC and Arab countries to advance peace through concrete measures. As a participant in this consultative process, Pakistan will closely engage and play a constructive role in promoting consensus. Our aim is to… pic.twitter.com/eZiax7h0ZQ
— Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN (@PakistanUN_NY) September 29, 2025
He welcomed President Trump’s efforts, in partnership with eight OIC and Arab partners, as a constructive step to advance peace through concrete measures.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s support, he said the country would remain closely engaged in the consultative process, emphasising that any path forward must ensure full Palestinian ownership, consistent with UN resolutions and international legitimacy.
At the same time, the Pakistani ambassador warned that Israel’s E-1 settlement plan constitutes a direct assault on the two-state solution.
Credibility at stake
By threatening to sever East Jerusalem from Palestine and dismantle the contiguity of the West Bank, the plan openly violates international law and Resolution 2334. He added that the council’s credibility would be imperilled if it failed to enforce its own decisions.
Ambassador Asim painted a grim picture of conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, noting that 66,000 Palestinians have been killed, the vast majority of them women and children. Gaza, he said, is enduring not only relentless bombardment but also deliberate starvation, with civilian infrastructure reduced to rubble. Simultaneously, military operations in Gaza risk displacing nearly a million people, leaving them with no refuge.
Despite the devastation, the ambassador pointed to positive developments, including the Two-State Solution Conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, and the recent recognitions of the State of Palestine by numerous member states.
He described these developments as principled steps that must now be matched with substance.
Unconditional and permanent ceasefire
Outlining Pakistan’s expectations, Ambassador Asim called for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire to halt the carnage in Gaza.
He also demanded the lifting of the blockade and unimpeded humanitarian access, along with the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Furthermore, he emphasised the need for a categorical end to forced displacement and a firm rejection of any annexation activity in Gaza or the West Bank.
He urged the implementation of practical, time-bound measures to fully enforce Resolution 2334 and preserve the viability of the two-State solution.
He also called for the urgent launch of a “credible, irreversible political process to realise a sovereign Palestinian state, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”
Ambassador Asim reminded the council that the credibility of multilateralism depends on concrete action, not rhetoric.
