After two crisis-ridden years, Pakistan’s UN envoy heads home to take up foreign secretary mantle

Açıklama

UNITED NATIONS: Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad leaves New York this week to take up his new responsibilities as Pakistan’s foreign secretary, ending his two-year assignment as the country’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN). He arrived in New York in October 2024 for his third assignment at the United Nations, as Pakistan prepared to begin a two-year elected term on the UN Security Council (UNSC). It was his third consecutive term as part of Pakistan’s UNSC teams, following assignments in 2003-04 and 2012-13. “It is such a great and singular honour to have the opportunity to represent Pakistan at the UN, including at the Security Council,” Ahmad said in an interview with Dawn. His tenure unfolded amid an extraordinary succession of crises: last year’s brief military confrontation between India and Pakistan, the continuing catastrophe in Gaza, the war between Israel and Iran and growing divisions within the international system. Pakistan brought “a lot of expertise and institutional experience” to its eighth term on the UNSC, Ahmad said. Its priorities were focused on international peace and security, including conflict prevention and peaceful settlement of disputes, peacekeeping, counter-terrorism and cooperation with regional organisations, he added. Within months of his arrival, relations between Pakistan and India deteriorated sharply, leading to a four-day military confrontation in May 2025 that brought the two nuclear-armed neighbours dangerously close to a wider conflict. The UN repeatedly urged both sides to step back from the brink and offered its good offices to help de-escalate the crisis. Ahmad kept UNSC members and other UN delegations informed of Pakistan’s position and the dangers of further escalation. Pakistan and India agreed to a ceasefire on May 10. For Ahmad, the confrontation was particularly significant because Pakistan itself was serving on the UNSC. In assessing Pakistan’s subsequent emphasis on peaceful settlement, he pointed to the May 2025 conflict, saying Pakistan had initiated and steered a UNSC resolution after “having inflicted a crushing defeat to the Indian aggression in May 2025.” One of the principal results he cited was UNSC Resolution 2788, adopted unanimously during Pakistan’s presidency in July 2025. The Pakistan-sponsored resolution called for greater use of the mechanisms provided by the UN Charter for the peaceful settlement of disputes. Ahmad described it as a landmark resolution, saying it had been “the most widely referred UNSC decision” since its adoption, something he said testified to its importance and relevance to the council’s work. Despite the geopolitical tensions reflected in a polarised council, he said, Pakistan had been able to forge consensus around the resolution. He also used his assessment of Pakistan’s tenure to argue for reform of the UNSC. Ahmad said developments in the international peace and security landscape, together with growing criticism of the role of the permanent members, had reinforced the belief of a wide majority of UN member states that the council needed to become “more democratic, representative and accountable”. Adding new individual permanent members, he argued, would only aggravate the problem. “In simple words, the problem cannot be the solution,” he said. Pakistan, he added, had worked with its partners in the Uniting for Consensus group and other like-minded countries for a reformed council with more elected seats, including medium-term seats based on periodic elections and rotation. Such an arrangement, he said, would allow for representation and accountability corresponding to the realities of today’s world. “Pakistan and many other countries are eminently qualified to bring their contribution to the UNSC and the maintenance of international peace and security,” Ahmad said. “Member states should be ready to fulfil that responsibility without permanence and privilege,” he said. Gaza became another defining issue of his tenure. Pakistan repeatedly raised the Palestinian question at the UNSC and the General Assembly, calling for an end to the killing and humanitarian suffering and adherence to international law. Ahmad described Pakistan as a “forceful voice” on Palestine. He pointed to Pakistan’s support for the Comprehensive Plan on Gaza and Security Council Resolution 2803, which he said brought about a ceasefire, opened humanitarian space in Gaza and, importantly, restored a political horizon for Palestinian self-determination and statehood. The Israel-Iran war in June 2025 and subsequent direct US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities presented Pakistan with another delicate diplomatic challenge. Iran is Pakistan’s neighbour, and Ahmad said Pakistan played an important role in mediating between the United States and Iran, bringing about a ceasefire in April, the Islamabad talks and the process that led to the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in June 2026. “Our leadership remains closely engaged with all sides and other friends and partners to advance the prospects of peace,” he said. The episode illustrated another aspect of Pakistan’s diplomacy during Ahmad’s tenure: efforts to create space for dialogue beyond formal UN forums. Pakistan also used its UNSC membership to focus on the safety of UN peacekeepers. Together with Denmark, it led Resolution 2823 in June 2026 on accountability for attacks against UN peacekeepers. The resolution was adopted unanimously and attracted 153 co-sponsors from across the UN membership — a record number for a UNSC resolution on the issue, according to Ahmad. Kashmir remained another longstanding issue on Pakistan’s diplomatic agenda. Several Arria Formula meetings organised by Pakistan brought the Jammu and Kashmir dispute before the council. Ahmad said the meetings brought into focus the unresolved dispute and “the imperative of its peaceful settlement in accordance with international legitimacy and relevant UNSC resolutions.” Beyond the major conflicts, Pakistan maintained an active profile across the wider UN agenda, including UN80, development, climate change and emerging technologies. Ahmad cited Pakistan’s role in discussions on artificial intelligence, digital assets and tokenisation for development, saying Pakistan had taken the lead in pioneering discussion of these issues at the UN. He also pointed to Pakistan’s work in steering the first General Assembly resolution on access to assistive technologies. But much of the work of a permanent representative takes place away from the headlines: consultations with other missions, negotiations over the language of resolutions, briefings for visiting leaders and long discussions over individual words. His final major assignment was the 81st General Assembly in September. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation came to New York for the Assembly. Ahmad led the Pakistani Mission through the programme of meetings, briefings and the Prime Minister’s address. On September 10, Ahmad was designated Pakistan’s next foreign secretary. He paid his farewell call on UN Secretary General António Guterres on September 30. Guterres thanked Pakistan for its role at the United Nations and congratulated Ahmad on his new appointment. On October 3, the Pakistan Mission held a farewell for Ahmad and his family. Mission officers, Consulate General officials and their families attended the event. Ahmad leaves New York after a period marked by war, confrontation and intense diplomatic uncertainty, but also after Pakistan sought to use its UNSC seat to promote peaceful settlement of disputes, protect UN peacekeepers and press for a more representative Council. Now, he returns to Islamabad as foreign secretary.

İlgili kişiler

Etiketler