Special Correspondent: Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Security Council, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, condemning Israeli military actions in southern Lebanon during a UN Security Council Emergency meeting on Wednesday. Speaking during an emergency meeting of the council regarding the situation in Lebanon, Jadoon said Lebanon was a country of “extraordinary diversity”, shaped by “layers of civilisations and a rich cultural and historical heritage”.
“The people of Lebanon have consistently demonstrated remarkable resilience and have maintained a vibrant social fabric based on coexistence among diverse communities and traditions,” he said. He said Lebanon needed a period of calm to achieve its goals of peace and stability, warning that renewed hostilities posed a serious risk.
He told the council that recent tensions and renewed clashes not only threaten infrastructure but also put civilian lives at grave risk and risk reversing the fragile political and security progress Lebanon had begun to achieve before the current crisis.
“Pakistan strongly condemns Israel’s continued military aggression in southern Lebanon,” he said, adding that the attacks had resulted in the deaths of more than 400 civilians, including at least 83 children and 42 women, while more than 600,000 people had been displaced.
AFP reported that according to the United Nations, Israeli air strikes and evacuation orders have forced nearly 700,000 people to flee their homes in Lebanon within just over a week. Karolina Lindholm Billing, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative in Lebanon, said the latest escalation had compelled families to flee their homes within minutes after Israeli air strikes and evacuation warnings were issued to residents of dozens of villages.
Lebanese authorities said on Monday that Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed at least 486 people and wounded at least 1,313. The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said 84 of those killed were children. “Large-scale destruction of civilian infrastructure and blatant violations of international humanitarian law must cease immediately,” said the Pakistani diplomat.
He stressed that the use of force in Lebanon should remain the prerogative of the Lebanese state through its legitimate constitutional institutions. “The Lebanese Armed Forces play a central role in this regard, and Pakistan supports efforts to strengthen their capacity and operational effectiveness,” Jadoon said.
