Gaza’s ‘tragic story’ shows ‘unraveling of international law’: Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad

Islamabad: A long-standing advocate of the Palestinian cause, Pakistan is using its presidency of the UN Security Council to help refocus global attention on the crisis in Gaza and the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, outlined his country’s vision in an interview as the South Asian country assumed the rotating presidency of the Security Council

“It’s a tragic story. It is an unravelling of international law, international humanitarian law,” Ahmad said, decrying the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the international community’s failure to pressure Israel to put an end to it.

Reiterating his country’s position at the UN, he said: “We want clear movement in the direction of Palestinian statehood, on the basis of the right to self-determination, on the basis of international legitimacy and UN Security Council resolutions.”

He also highlighted the significance of the upcoming conference on implementing the two-state solution — to be co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France from July 28 to 30 — calling it “another golden opportunity for the international community to come together and to reaffirm that support for the Palestinian cause.”

Regarding coordination with Saudi Arabia and others involved in ceasefire negotiations, Ambassador Ahmad noted that while Pakistan is “not directly involved,” it remains in close contact with key stakeholders. “We hope that this ceasefire should be announced sooner rather than later,” he said.

Asked whether Pakistan would consider normalizing relations with Israel if a Palestinian state were recognized and the violence in Gaza ended, Ahmad was unequivocal. “There are no indications, unfortunately, from the Israeli side on moving forward with recognition,” he said. “What we are looking at this point of time is Palestinian statehood in the context of the two-state solution.”

Ambassador Ahmad spoke at length about the leadership role Pakistan envisioned at the Security Council — including its commitment to multilateralism and its strategic engagement across UN agencies.

Beyond peace and security, Pakistan remains actively engaged in the UN’s development, humanitarian and environmental work.

“Pakistan, being a developing country, has development challenges. We are particularly impacted by climate change,” said Ambassador Ahmad, recalling the devastating floods that have repeatedly afflicted the country in recent years.