ISLAMABAD: A top Pakistani diplomat at the United Nations has urged the world body to invest “more time and energy” to deal with situations where people are denied right to self-determination while seeking proper implementation of UN resolutions in Kashmir and Palestine, reported the state media on Sunday.
Addressing the General Assembly’s legal committee, the country’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Aamir Khan, described the right to self-determination as a “fundamental pillar of the world order.”
“While most dependent or occupied peoples have been able to exercise their right to self-determination peacefully, there are some who have been denied this right and have been obliged to struggle for it,” he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press of Pakistan news agency. “This is the situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine. There will be no peace in the Middle East or South Asia until the Palestinian people and the people of Jammu and Kashmir are enabled to exercise their right to self-determination.”
“The United Nations, particularly the Security Council, must invest more time and energy to secure the implementation of its own resolutions,” the Pakistani diplomat added. “Today, the system of international law and world order, created under the umbrella of the UN Charter, is in danger of collapse due to lack of consistent implementation and enforcement.”
Pakistan has consistently advocated for the rights of people in Kashmir and Palestine on various international forums.
In his speech, Khan also urged all nations to affirm the importance of the rule of law domestically.
“A uniform and consistent approach to uphold the rule of law would significantly contribute to improving equitable socio-economic development and a just international system,” he added.
