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Mr. President,
My delegation thanks the South African Presidency for convening this important debate.
In my very first statement to the Council on the situation in the Middle East in April 2015, I spoke of a growing tide of complex and interconnected challenges threatening to push the region into a fresh vortex of violence and instability.
Today, as I take the floor in what would be my last statement on the issue, I daresay, with a heavy heart, that the grim situation prevailing on the ground, appears to have confirmed some of our worst fears - riven by protracted and emerging conflicts, escalating violence and worsening humanitarian crises, the Middle East's geostrategic landscape is clouded by competing and divergent interests of major regional powers.
The role of external players adds another layer of complexity to an already fraught regional situation.
Meanwhile non-state actors and terrorist organizations have tried to exploit the turmoil to gain a foothold across the region. The activities of these terror outfits including the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) and its affiliates have created legitimate security concerns for regional states.
At this precarious moment in history, reconciliation within the region is imperative to avoid further instability.
This is essential to achieve our shared vision of a peaceful and prosperous Middle East.
Mr. President,
The framework for regional peace must be built on the abiding virtues of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.
They are not merely principles of international law or the UN Charter, but also constitute the fundamental essence of the Islamic teachings of amity, goodwill and brotherhood.
Singularly guided by these considerations, Prime Minister Imran Khan has been consulting the leaderships of Saudi Arabia and Iran to forge unity within the ranks of the Islamic Ummah.
Pakistan will continue to play its role for peace and stability in the region. We consider the following as critically important:
Yet, Mr. President, nowhere is this more apparent than in the case of the occupied Palestinian territories, where established norms of international law including Security Council resolutions continue to be deliberately and systematically flouted.
Meanwhile, the continued military occupation, expanding settlement activity in the occupied territory, including East Jerusalem, and the looming threat of the annexation of the West Bank have not only undermined the goal of a two-State solution, but have also imperiled peace and security in the Middle East and beyond.
On our part, Pakistan's solidarity with the people of Palestine is firm and unwavering.
It is after all, an abiding lesson of history that attempts to suppress and subjugate people living under foreign occupation, and to deny them their inalienable rights including the right to self-determination, are bound to fail.
Yesterday, Kashmiris across the world commemorated the 72nd anniversary of the illegal Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir; next month, the Palestinians will mark the 72nd anniversary of a partition plan that outlined the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Much as the continuing tragedy of the Palestinians and the Kashmiris still awaits redressal, they are nonetheless, reassured in their conviction that while dark and forbidding, the night of occupation will yield one day to the light of freedom and dignity for them and other peoples living under foreign occupation.
Mr. President, your own struggle against apartheid is itself living testimony to this eternal prophecy.
I thank you.