Pakistan struck a delicate balance at a tense UN Security Council meeting on Saturday, condemning unwarranted attacks on Iran, expressing solidarity with Gulf states, and urging an immediate return to negotiations and diplomacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Council\u2019s emergency session examined the repercussions of the US and Israeli air strikes on Iran and laid bare the deep divisions within the 15-member body over the escalating crisis. Speaking at the meeting, Pakistan\u2019s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, outlined Islamabad\u2019s growing concern as the situation in the Middle East becomes more complex with each new development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPakistan condemns the initiation of unwarranted attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran, in violation of international law,\u201d the ambassador said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, he stressed that Pakistan also \u201ccondemns the attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and stands in solidarity with all these brotherly countries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He warned that, at a time when renewed diplomatic efforts were underway, such actions would \u201cundermine the peace and stability of the entire region, with far-reaching consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ambassador Ahmad made clear that Pakistan\u2019s concern extends beyond any single capital. Instead, it is focused on the security architecture of the entire Gulf region \u2014 home to millions of Pakistani expatriates and a region with which Islamabad maintains deep political, economic and security ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This dual condemnation \u2014 of strikes on Iran and of attacks on Gulf states \u2014 illustrates the fine line Pakistan is walking. It cannot afford to alienate Tehran, a neighbor with whom it shares a sensitive border and a complex security equation. Nor can it distance itself from Gulf partners that host large Pakistani communities and play a critical role in Pakistan\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The envoy\u2019s emphasis on mediation and dialogue further underscored this balancing act. \u201cWe particularly laud Oman\u2019s role in facilitating and mediating dialogue between Iran and the United States,\u201d he said, aligning Pakistan firmly with diplomatic efforts rather than military blocs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In another pointed observation, he lamented that \u201cdiplomacy has once again been derailed as these attacks have happened right in the middle of negotiations,\u201d warning that \u201cthese military actions undermine dialogue and further erode trust that was already in short supply.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Islamabad\u2019s legal framing was equally deliberate. The ambassador reminded the Council that \u201cthe purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter are inviolable and sacrosanct,\u201d stressing that the Charter \u201cprohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of states.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This formulation allows Pakistan to oppose unilateral or pre-emptive military actions without directly isolating any particular power beyond the immediate incidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the humanitarian level, Pakistan sought to humanise the crisis. Ambassador Ahmad offered condolences to \u201ccivilians caught in the middle of these violent acts,\u201d specifically mentioning \u201cschool children in Iran\u201d and the family of a Pakistani national killed in the United Arab Emirates. In doing so, Islamabad reinforced its message that ordinary people \u2014 Iranians, Arabs and Pakistanis alike \u2014 are the real victims of escalation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The strategic anxiety was also explicit. \u201cWe are deeply alarmed at the risk of regional conflagration,\u201d the ambassador said, noting that the \u201csafety and well-being of millions of our compatriots in the countries of the region is also our top priority.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ultimately, Pakistan\u2019s message was straightforward but urgent: \u201cPakistan calls on all sides to immediately halt escalation and urgently resume diplomacy with a view to achieving a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether the balance Islamabad seeks to maintain can endure will depend not only on its own diplomatic agility, but also on whether the region itself steps back from the brink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n