NEWYORK: Pakistan has reiterated its principled stance that consistent and universal application of international law is inevitable for a just and peaceful international order.
The stance was restated by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad while addressing the UN Sixth Committee on ‘The Rule of Law at the National and International Level’.
He said impunity and selective adherence to legal norms undermine the rule of law across all conflicts from Palestine to Kashmir.
The ambassador cautioned that rule of law is being subverted by power politics and unilateralism amid growing geopolitical competition and disregard for international law.
He added that such deliberate violations threaten to unravel the very legal order and pose grave risks to the global order.
Citing the long-standing cases of occupation and repression in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine, the ambassador said an end to impunity and decades-long occupations must begin with true adherence to international law.
Warning that peace remains elusive without accountability, he called for ensuring that global norms remain inclusive and equitable, rather than exclusive, restrictive, or discriminatory.
He underscored that strengthening the rule of law is imperative to rid the world of anarchy and conflict, and move it towards cooperation for maximizing global peace, development and stability.
Pakistan’s ambassador reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to uphold a rules-based international system.
