Reaffirming Islamabad’s firm support for the UN Human Rights Council, Pakistan urged the 47-member body to use its preventive mandate effectively to uphold international law and protect the rights of all occupied and oppressed peoples — including those in Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing the Assembly, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said the Geneva-based Council must maintain a balanced approach in addressing both long-standing and emerging human rights challenges.

He welcomed the Council’s attention to grave humanitarian situations, including the continued denial of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the suffering of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

“Lasting peace and respect for human rights cannot be achieved without addressing all cases of foreign occupation and denial of self-determination — including in Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir, where peoples continue to face oppression and dispossession,” the envoy said.

His remarks on the situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir prompted a sharp response from India’s representative, who repeated New Delhi’s stance that Jammu and Kashmir was an “integral and inalienable” part of India and accused Pakistan of distorting the principle of self-determination.

Bhavika Managalanandan, a first secretary at India’s mission to the UN, also cited alleged human rights concerns in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Exercising his right of reply, Pakistani diplomat Sarfaraz Ahmed Gohar dismissed India’s statements as “baseless falsehoods,” asserting that “Jammu and Kashmir is not, has never been, and will never be an ‘integral’ part of India.”

He reiterated that the region’s final status must be determined by the Kashmiri people through a UN-supervised plebiscite — as mandated by several Security Council resolutions.

“This disputed status of Kashmir is acknowledged by the UN and the international community,” he said.

“We reiterate that the Indian government must uphold its international human rights obligations towards the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and advise the Indian delegate to shun (his) tactics to deflect attention,” the Pakistani delegate said, also highlighting the growing intolerance in India, with extremist Hindu groups calling for genocide against Muslims.

In his comments on the Human Rights Council’s report, Ambassador Asim Ahmad renewed Pakistan’s commitment to a coherent and equitable global human rights system.

He underscored the need for streamlining the proliferation of mandates, avoiding duplication, and strengthening coordination across mechanisms. “The focus must be on quality over quantity — ensuring each mandate adds value and contributes meaningfully to the promotion of all rights.”

The Council, the Pakistani envoy stressed, must remain a forum for dialogue and cooperation, not confrontation or politicization. “Selectivity and double standards erode credibility and must be rejected.”

Adequate, predictable, and sustainable financing is also vital for the Council’s credibility and functionality, he said.

Pointing out that indivisibility and interdependence of all human rights are the UN’s foundational principles, the Pakistani envoy urged the Council to ensure equal attention to the nexus between human rights, development, and sustainability to fulfill the promise of UN’s 2030 anti-poverty agenda.

As a re-elected member of the Human Rights Council for 2026–2028, Ambassador Asim Ahmad reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to play a balanced, principled, and constructive role. “We will continue to promote consensus-building, amplify the voice of the Global South, and uphold promotion of all human rights.”

Other speakers also underscored that the Council serves as a “sanctuary of humanity” that not only protects but also delivers on the promise of human rights as enshrined in the United Nations Charter.

“Today, both international law and human rights are under growing pressure,” said Annalena Baerbock, President of the General Assembly, noting that despite the vision of the UN’s founders some countries brazenly dismiss the rule of law, while others question the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In their most extreme form in Afghanistan, the Taliban deny women and girls even the most basic human rights.

“The frequency of such abuses is shocking,” she said. “We cannot remain passive […] nor allow cynics to weaponize these failures to discredit the institutions that protect human dignity”.

The Human Rights Council, like the broader United Nations, “can only deliver within its means”, the Assembly president stressed, calling on States to sustain their financial contributions.

She urged them to use the UN80 reform initiative as a tool to make the Council more integrated, efficient and responsive in the pursuit of delivery.

Citing the eightieth anniversary of the United Nations as both “a moment for self-reflection and a call to action”, Jurg Lauber, President of the Human Rights Council, warned that — amid persisting conflicts and the erosion of the rule of law — fulfilling the rights enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration can often feel like “an impossible task”.

Yet, he highlighted the remarkable progress achieved across the full spectrum of human rights.

The Council expanded the scope of issues on its agenda, while continuing its focus on technical assistance and capacity-building in Cambodia, Central African Republic, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Georgia, Haiti, Libya, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, Ukraine and Yemen.

However, the Council’s sessions took place amid the UN’s liquidity crisis, he said, which affected all mandates and forced many to be delivered in a reduced form. “The current situation is not sustainable,” he stressed, warning that without timely and adequate resources, fulfilling the Council’s mandate will create protection gaps for victims.