New York: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday said that over the last 7 decades, India has obstructed the efforts of the UN mechanisms to implement the UN Security Council’s resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
Addressing the 12th Ministerial Meeting of the UN Group of Friends of Mediation, titled “Avoiding Humanitarian Crises through Mediation” Bilawal said the continuation of India’s illegal actions was manifested in the unilateral measures taken on and since 5 August 2019 to annex the occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir without even the fig leaf of legal justification or plebiscite.
He said the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is one of the oldest issues on the agenda of the Council. At the outset, the Security Council decided that “the final disposition of the State of Jammu and Kashmir will be made in accordance with the will of the people expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations”.
The Security Council also instituted several mechanisms to secure the implementation of its decisions on Jammu and Kashmir, including:
- a) the UN Commission on India and Pakistan (UNCIP);
- b) the deployment of the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP); and
- c) the appointment of several distinguished Special Representatives.
To this end, Pakistan continues to advocate a more active role by the United Nations Security Council and the Secretary-General.
We urge the Secretary-General to avail the full panoply of mediatory measures available to him under Article 99 of the UN Charter to persuade India to reverse its unilateral measures and agree to promote an equitable solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with Security Council resolutions and
the UN Charter. The Security Council should give full support to the Secretary- General in using his good offices to this end.
Bilawal said “let me begin by thanking the Co-Chairs Turkiye and Finland for organizing 12th Ministerial Meeting of the UN Group of Friends of Mediation and their successful stewardship of this initiative.”
Pakistan also commends the UN Secretary General and President Erdogan of Turkiye for successfully mediating the landmark Black Sea Grain Initiative.
He said The important role of the United Nations in conflict prevention is unquestionable.
Bilawal said the Charter of the United Nations contains a comprehensive framework for the pacific settlement of disputes. At any stage of a conflict, the Security Council can recommend to the parties appropriate procedures or methods of settlement of their dispute, which may include mediation under Chapter VI of the Charter.
Under Article 37 and 38, the Security Council also has the power to recommend terms of settlement to the parties, if they request this or if the Council considers that the continuance of their dispute is in fact likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security. Over the years, the Security Council has also established subsidiary organs to carry out mediation in pursuance of this core mandate.
Nearly 77 years after the signing of the Charter, the challenges and threats to peace and security are perhaps more complex, but the Charter’s purposes and principles remain valid and immutable. It is imperative to reaffirm our commitment and confidence in these principles and to promote solutions to disputes and conflicts, between large and small States, on the basis of these principles.
The Secretary General’s repeated calls for a ‘surge in diplomacy’ for peace is both urgent and important. And, such a surge of diplomacy must emanate from the United Nations and the machinery that is available to it for the purpose, including for mediation and similar means of dispute resolution.
While the United Nations has had several successes in mediating political settlements to disputes and conflicts, it could and should have done more and with greater success.
In conclusion, Excellencies, let me say that Pakistan is a proud member of the Group of Friends of Mediation, and I would like to thank the Chairs and all the members of the Group for their work.
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