ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday regretted inability of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to adopt a draft resolution seeking a ceasefire and delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza, after the United States (US) vetoed it.
The draft resolution, tabled by the 10 elected members of the 15-member council, received 14 votes in favor. It was the sixth time since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza nearly two years ago that the US has used the power of veto it holds as one of the five permanent members of the council.
Washington has consistently argued that the UN ceasefire resolutions risk undermining peace negotiations on the ground. Critics accuse US authorities of shielding Israel from international accountability.
Speaking at the meeting, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, the resolution provided an opportunity to act in the face of “unprecedented brutality and devastation, and mass displacement in Gaza, as the Israeli ground invasion intensifies.”
“A clear majority of this Council has consistently demanded urgent action to stop the carnage in Gaza. And, we have fulfilled our part of the responsibility. What prevented the Council from acting was the exercise of the veto. That carries a heavy responsibility. And that is where the apology must lie,” Ahmad said.
