Decolonization ‘unfinished,’ Pakistan tells UN as it presses for Palestinian, Kashmiri self-rule
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday called on the United Nations to complete what it described as the “unfinished agenda of decolonization,” citing the situations in Palestine and Indian-administered Kashmir as the world’s most pressing examples of people denied their right to self-determination.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee on Decolonization, Pakistan’s Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that while more than 80 former colonies had gained independence under UN auspices, “the story of decolonization remains incomplete.”
The remarks came as the war in Gaza completed its second year, with widespread destruction and civilian casualties following Israel’s continued bombardment and blockade of the enclave since October 2023.
Palestinian health authorities say Israel's two-year-old ground and air campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 67,000 people, with nearly a third of the dead under the age of 18. Rights groups and UN agencies say restrictions on aid and repeated Israeli strikes on residential areas, schools, and hospitals have deepened one of the worst humanitarian crises in decades.
