Pakistan backs US-led Board of Peace’s UNSC mandate for Palestine

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan told the UN Security Council on Thursday that it has joined the US-led Board of Peace (BoP) in support of its mandate under the 15-member body’s Resolution 2803, which reaffirms its commitment to efforts aimed at achieving a lasting peace based on Palestinian self-determination and statehood in accordance with international law.

“The international community, particularly this Council, bears the responsibility to translate renewed engagement into measurable change on the ground for the betterment of the Palestinian people,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, said during a debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. The debate coincided with the announcement of the 26-member Board.

He said the unresolved Palestinian question remains at the core of instability in the Middle East, stressing that decades of Israeli occupation have resulted in dispossession, repression, and the denial of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.

Noting that the commencement of the second phase of the Peace Plan — including the establishment of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), as well as the formation of the BoP and Executive Committees — were “important steps,” the Pakistani envoy said these measures should now help consolidate the ceasefire and prepare the ground for a sustainable and credible political process toward Palestinian self-determination and statehood.

Pointing out that Pakistan, together with other Arab and Islamic countries in the Group of Eight, has joined the Board of Peace in support of its mandate as endorsed by Security Council Resolution 2803, Ambassador Ahmad referred to a joint statement issued by the group’s foreign ministers reiterating their support for peace efforts led by US President Donald Trump.

In this regard, he expressed hope that the BoP would lead to concrete steps toward the implementation of a permanent ceasefire and the realization of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination through a credible, time-bound political process consistent with international legitimacy and relevant UN resolutions — resulting in an independent, sovereign, and contiguous State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

“That is the ultimate goal supported by the international community. Palestinian-led governance and institutional strengthening — with a central role for the Palestinian Authority — are indispensable in this regard,” the Pakistani envoy added.