NEW YORK: Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) has warned that the situation unfolding in the South Asian region poses a serious threat to international peace and security, adding India’s escalatory rhetoric and unilateral actions are counter-productive.
The Ambassador made the remarks while addressing a press briefing at the UN headquarters on Friday to explain the position of Pakistan on the Pahalgam incident.
“The unjustified actions and unilateral measures announced by the Indian government on 23 April, followed by belligerent public statements, have significantly heightened tensions and pose a serious threat to regional peace and security,” he said.
He went on to say that in this politically motivated and highly provocative environment created by India’s irresponsible and destabilizing actions in the wake of the Pahalgam attack in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, there is reasonable intelligence indicating towards imminent threat of kinetic action by India against Pakistan.
“India’s conduct, marked by a disregard for international law and regional stability, is incendiary and dangerous, with the potential for far-reaching and disastrous consequences,” he warned.
Pakistan wants peace
He clarified that Pakistan does not seek escalation, adding that this has been made clear by the political leadership and at all levels. “At the same time, we are fully prepared to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity. Should India resort to aggression, Pakistan will exercise its inherent and legitimate right to self-defense, as enshrined in the UN Charter,” Asim Iftikhar said.
Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN went on to say India’s pattern of military adventurism is well known. He recalled that within moments of the recent attack, India began leveling unsubstantiated and misleading allegations against Pakistan, without presenting any shred of evidence and without even commencing any credible investigation. “Even ten days after the incident, no credible information about the perpetrators has been made public,” he pointed out.
He added Pakistan categorically rejects any attempt to associate it with the 22 April terrorist incident in Pahalgam in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Pakistan condemns terrorism
Ambassador Asim Iftikhar said Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. “We are concerned over the loss of lives in the Pahalgam attack, and we extend our condolences. As a victim of terrorism itself, no one can feel the pain of those impacted by this scourge like Pakistan,” he said.
He added that immediately after the incident, Pakistan constructively engaged with Security Council members to put out a press statement condemning the attack in the strongest possible terms.
He added in response to India’s provocative and unilateral actions, Pakistan’s National Security Committee (NSC), chaired by the Prime Minister, convened on 24 April and was obliged to undertake certain proportionate counter-measures.
Indus Waters Treaty
The diplomat said Pakistan is concerned about India’s irresponsible decision to hold in abeyance the historic Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 – a landmark, legally binding agreement brokered and guaranteed by the World Bank. He added the Treaty guarantees Pakistan’s rights to the three Western rivers, which serve as a lifeline for over 240 million people of Pakistan.
“Holding of IWT in abeyance is unilateral and illegal. There are no such provisions in the Treaty. India’s unilateral and unlawful actions are bound to undermine regional peace and stability with catastrophic implications,” he said.
He noted Pakistan’s National Security Committee has made it categorically clear that any attempt to stop or divert the natural flow of water that rightfully belongs to Pakistan in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty, and the usurpation of the rights of the lower riparian, will be considered as an Act of War. He said such a move poses an existential threat to the people of Pakistan and will not be tolerated.
“If left unchecked by the international community, such actions risk setting a dangerous precedent that could undermine the legal rights of lower riparian states, potentially triggering new global conflicts over shared water resources,” he warned.
India continues to weaponize terrorism
Ambassador Asim Iftikhar said it is unfortunate that India continues to weaponize terrorism and unsubstantiated allegations as part of its disinformation strategy for narrow political ends. “In fact this is now a familiar template aimed at diverting attention from India’s inability to suppress the inalienable right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination, its security failures in IIOJK, as well as its decades-long state terrorism and oppression targeting the Kashmiris,” he said.
He stated that the root cause of conflict and instability in South Asia is the longstanding Jammu and Kashmir dispute that has remained unresolved for nearly eight decades. He viewed that a durable peace will remain elusive until there is a just and lasting settlement to this core issue in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
“We are deeply concerned by reports of widespread human rights violations in IIOJK, including arbitrary detentions, home demolitions, and collective punishment imposed on the innocent Kashmiri people,” said the diplomat.
He said Pakistan desires good neighbourly, peaceful, and cooperative relations with all its neighbors, including India. “We advocate for a relationship grounded in mutual respect, sovereign equality, peaceful co-existence, and peaceful resolution of all outstanding disputes. But this aspiration must be reciprocated – it cannot be a one-sided affair,” he noted.
He warned that the situation unfolding in the region poses a serious threat to international peace and security. Pakistan has urged immediate de-escalation. “Escalatory rhetoric and unilateral actions are counter-productive,” he opined.
“Escalation in South Asia that is home to nearly 2 billion people, favour none. It is time for sanity to prevail and allow dialogue and diplomacy to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control,” he concluded.
