UNITED NATIONS: The Pakistani national flag was installed in front of the United Nations Security Council chamber, as Pakistan began its eighth term as a non-permanent member (2025-26) of the 15-member body.
As part of the joining ceremony, flags of the five new incoming non-permanent members — Pakistan, along with Denmark, Greece, Panama and Somalia — were installed at UNSC’s stakeout at the UN Headquarters in New York.
The new members replaced Japan, Ecuador, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland whose terms ended on December 31, 2024.
Pakistan’s Alternate Permanent Representative, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, installed the national flag as part of the impressive ceremony.
In his brief remarks, he said that Pakistan will continue to be guided by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter including maintenance of international peace and security and development of friendly relations among nations based on the principle of equal rights and self-determination.
“Pakistan will always remain a strong voice for peoples under foreign occupation and oppression and for the realization of their right to self-determination,” Ambassador Ahmad said.
Pakistan, he said, was convinced that cooperative multilateralism – with the UN at its core – was the best way of tackling today’s multifaceted challenges.
Pakistan, he said, will partner with fellow members to actively pursue just and peaceful solutions to the issues on the Council’s agenda, and strive to make optimal use of the tools at our disposal – from conflict prevention to peacekeeping to peacebuilding – to achieve durable peace.
Pakistan will preside over the 15-member Council in July when it assumes its presidency according to alphabetical rotation of the member states’ official names. This will allow Islamabad to set the Security Council’s agenda.
In addition to this, Pakistan will get a seat on the Islamic State (ISIS) and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee, which is responsible for designating individuals and groups as terrorists and imposing sanctions.
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