Pakistan has told the UN General Assembly that the idea of “responsibility to protect,” or R2P, which was used to justify some interventions, had failed to prevent genocide where it actually occurred, like in the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza. Pakistan asserts that the State itself has the primary responsibility to defend vulnerable populations.
Ambassador Munir Akram cautioned the 193-member Assembly during a debate on the duty to protect against and prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. He said that 900,000 Indian troops stationed in Indian-occupied Kashmir were carrying out heinous atrocities in an attempt to stifle the region’s people’s desire for independence and self-determination.
The contentious idea of R2P is based on three pillars: each State’s obligation to protect its people; the international community’s obligation to support States in doing so; and the international community’s obligation to intervene when a State is blatantly failing to protect its people.Ambassador Akram went on to say that Pakistan begs the UN Special Advisor on the “Responsibility to Protect” to acknowledge the dire circumstances in India and occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, the envoy from Pakistan stated that the ongoing slaughter in Gaza, where Israel’s military assault has murdered nearly 40,000 Palestinians in eight months, the majority of them women and children, and injured 86,000 more, is the clearest evidence of the failure of the international community.
“Humanitarian supplies have been impeded; hundreds of aid workers have perished.” Gaza is beset by starvation and disease, said Ambassador Akram. “There’s really no better example of a situation where the international community has to step in to stop this genocide and related war crimes in fact, it’s their urgent duty.”
“The most tragic thing is that, even though the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) has been invoked to justify some interventions, it has largely failed to stop and punish genocide and other crimes when they have occurred.”With respect to this, Ambassador Akram posed the question, “Where are the original articulate proponents of R2P?”
“Some have made it difficult for the Security Council to call for a ceasefire. Some have sent Israel weapons and ammunition, and some still do, despite requests from the International Court of Justice for Israel and its suppliers to put an end to this “plausible genocide.” Resolution 2735, which calls on Israel to have approved a plan for a ceasefire, has not even been put into action. Israeli forces are still in action. The murders continue.
Ambassador Akram also questioned whether the Security Council should not step in to provide the victims with protection in accordance with the Genocide Convention and the Responsibility to Protect doctrine. He stated that the OIC has that the Security Council give the idea of a Protection Force for the suffering Palestinians serious consideration.It was evident, according to the Pakistani envoy, that those living under foreign occupation were “most at risk.”
In Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, where since 1989 over 100,000 Kashmiris have been killed, 20,000 women have been raped, thousands have been forced to disappear, 13,000 young boys have been abducted and many tortured, and all leaders seeking freedom have been imprisoned, he said, Genocide Watch had issued a warning two years ago about the possibility of genocide. Extrajudicial executions, group whippings, torture, and other crimes were commonplace, and “laws” were enacted to deprive native Kashmiris of their assets and to bring in Hindu settlers from outside Jammu & Kashmir in an attempt to shift the region’s demographics from one of Muslims to Hindus.
Ambassador Akram encouraged the international community, “The R2P movement must act now, if genocide and ethnic cleansing is to be prevented in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.” Furthermore, he stated that the officially sanctioned ideology of Hindutva, which advocates for the creation of a Hindu State limited to Bharat, has given rise to an equally grave threat.
The Pakistani envoy stated, “Muslims face systematic, officially sanctioned discrimination, violence, and oppression.” The court system and law enforcement agencies were implicated in this persecution since Muslims are being lynched by cow vigilantes and RSS goons without facing consequences.
“Hindutva extremists and even national leaders who call for the genocide of Muslims face no consequences, as demonstrated by the threat made by a BJP leader last week to kill 200,000 Muslims,” the speaker stated. Additionally, a genocide against 200 million Muslims in India is “possible,” according to the head of Genocide Watch.
The Secretary-General’s report “Responsibility to protect: the commitment to prevent and protect populations from atrocity crime” was introduced by Mo Bleeker, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Responsibility to Protect.Speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General, she observed that the 2005 World Summit’s commitment to end atrocity crimes is still “largely unfulfilled.”
Ms. Bleeker noted that member nations are frequently “shocked into inaction” or fail to take prompt action to avoid atrocities since early warnings are frequently received with indifference or denial. Human rights and international humanitarian law are flagrantly violated and abused by both state and non-state actors.
She said that the efficiency of the Council has occasionally been hampered by the permanent members’ lack of agreement, which has damaged public confidence in governments and international institutions that “fail to deliver” or apply “double standards.”
“This General Assembly has seen fit to act and make recommendations regarding international peace and security in an effort to fill this void,” Ms. Bleeker said.The study, which looks back on accomplishments since 2005, emphasizes how extensive studies and rulings from international tribunals have contributed to our growing understanding of the dynamics and risk factors behind atrocity crimes. It highlights how important it is to have governments, experts, and civil society involved in ongoing monitoring and effective preventative measures.
In response to the topic of why atrocity crimes persist, the special adviser emphasized that the difficulties in reaching a consensus on and carrying out preventive measures are the real cause of the issue, not a lack of political will or differences over who has the duty to protect. In 2025, the responsibility to protect will celebrate its twentieth anniversary. This presents a rare chance to evaluate, assess, and determine how Member States can collaborate and exchange best practices of their national preventive systems.”This kind of inventory and dialogue would support suggestions regarding the duty to defend, demonstrating the widest agreement among Member States,” she said in her conclusion.
