Pakistan urges UNSC to act on Gaza, praises growing Palestine recognition

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that now was the time for action to resolve the ongoing crisis in Gaza. He also welcomed the increasing recognition of a Palestinian state by more countries.

Foreign Minister Dar is part of a delegation led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

According to the statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, the delegation is drawing the international community’s attention to the “grave crisis” in Gaza and calling for “decisive action” to end the suffering of Palestinians.

Addressing a UNSC session on the Middle East, Dar said that Gaza has become a graveyard for humanity and the global conscience.

“We call upon the Security Council and the broader international community to act decisively, to uphold human dignity, to ensure accountability and deliver justice,” he said.

“The time for words has passed, the time for action is now.”

He reiterated the damage and devastation in Gaza, noting hundreds have been killed and the plight of those still surviving. He stressed that the humanitarian situation had reached “catastrophic proportions,” with people starving and famine gripping the territory.

Dar added that Pakistan welcomed France’s summit on the two-state solution, co-sponsored with Saudi Arabia. He also commended the recent recognition of the Palestinian state by more U.N. members, saying it “reflects adherence to justice and the principle of international law.”

World leaders gather in New York every September for several days of speeches and meetings at the annual U.N. General Assembly session.

OIC Committee of Six on Palestine

Foreign Minister Dar also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the Palestinian cause at a separate meeting of the OIC Committee of Six on Palestine, describing it as central to the organization’s objectives.

He said the world continues to witness the “harrowing tragedy” in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly Gaza, where civilian infrastructure has been deliberately targeted and suffering has reached catastrophic levels.

He recalled that the International Court of Justice described the situation as a case of “plausible genocide” and said Israel’s military campaign continues in blatant defiance of international law, humanitarian law, and binding ICJ orders.

He condemned the collective punishment of civilians through bombardment, starvation, forced displacement, and denial of humanitarian aid. He also warned that settler violence and military aggression are escalating in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The foreign minister also called the moment defining for the Middle East and the Muslim world.

He urged the OIC to press for a permanent ceasefire, humanitarian access, an end to illegal settlements, restitution of seized land, accountability for war crimes, and the deployment of an international protection mechanism.

He also called for renewed support to UNRWA, Gaza reconstruction under the Arab-OIC plan, compliance with ICJ rulings, and the realization of Palestinians’ right to self-determination through an independent state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

The OIC Committee of Six on Palestine was formed in 1982 to mobilize political, diplomatic, and legal support for the Palestinian cause. Its members are Pakistan, Senegal, Guinea, Malaysia, the State of Palestine, and the OIC General Secretariat.