United Nations, While underscoring that the protection of civilians in armed conflict is a binding international obligation, not a policy option, Pakistan has drawn the global attention to the alarming rise in violence, displacement, and disregard for humanitarian norms, citing that over 36,000 civilians were killed in conflicts in 2024 alone, and more than 122 million people were forcibly displaced.
Delivering a national statement during the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, delivered a national statement and called for urgent international action to protect civilians suffering in protracted conflicts, with particular emphasis on the worsening humanitarian crises in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) and Gaza.
Ambassador Asim spotlighted the ongoing and long-standing humanitarian crisis in IIOJK, stating:
“For over 75 years, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have endured systemic violence and repression under Indian occupation. More than 100,000 Kashmiris have lost their lives, women have suffered sexual violence, and generations have grown up behind barbed wires and bunkers.”
He condemned the presence of over 900,000 Indian occupation forces who continue to commit extrajudicial killings, impose collective punishment, and attempt demographic changes in contravention of international law and UN Security Council resolutions.
He drew the attention of the Council members to the plans being implemented by the Indian occupation forces to alter the demographic composition of the occupied territory in violation of UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu & Kashmir, and the 4th Geneva Convention.
He said emphatically that the people of Jammu & Kashmir await the fulfillment of their right to self-determination, as enshrined in numerous Security Council resolutions.
Furthermore, the Pakistan UN Ambassador referred to India’s recent unprovoked missile, air, and drone strikes on Pakistani territory. He said that India deliberately targeted civilian areas, resulting in the deaths of 40 civilians, including 15 children, and injuries to over 120 others.
He stated: “This act of blatant aggression is a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and the UN Charter. Pakistan’s response was responsible, measured, and in line with its inherent right to self-defense.”
The Ambassador also emphasized the horrific scale of suffering in Gaza, where over 53,000 Palestinians have been killed and 121,000 injured since October 2023.
He noted that “Two million people — 90% of Gaza’s population — have been displaced. Hospitals have been attacked more than 300 times. This is a humanitarian catastrophe of unprecedented scale.”
Pakistan expressed strong support for a focused Security Council resolution on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, proposed by Algeria on behalf of the Arab Group, and reiterated its readiness to work constructively with all Council members to ensure early action.
To strengthen civilian protection in armed conflict, Ambassador Asim made the following key recommendations:
1. Ensure strict compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law.
2. End impunity for grave violations, including in IIOJK and Palestine.
3. Prioritize populations under foreign occupation, particularly in Jammu & Kashmir and Palestine.
4. Protect humanitarian workers and UN personnel, upholding Resolution 2730.
5. Prohibit lethal autonomous weapons that lack human accountability.
6. Establish international frameworks to counter AI-powered disinformation and hate speech in conflict settings.
7. Address root causes of conflict through dialogue, diplomacy, and peaceful dispute resolution.
Referring to civilian suffering in other conflict zones from Afghanistan to Colombia, and DRC, to Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen and Ukraine, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad described the condition of civilian acute. He said that in 2024 alone, over 280 million people faced acute food insecurity in conflict-affected regions, and more than 870 healthcare workers were killed or injured in 20 countries.
He said that wars today are not waged with bullets alone, arguing that disinformation — often powered by AI — threatens civilian safety, inflames conflict, and undermines humanitarian efforts.
He reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to the protection of civilians in armed conflict. He said that we stand ready to work with all Member States to ensure that no child, no mother, no civilian should ever pay with their life in a conflict.
