UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has called for stronger international support for the International Court of Justice (ICJ), arguing that disputes between countries should be settled through international law rather than military pressure or coercion.
Speaking during the UN General Assembly’s debate on the court’s annual report on October 29, First Secretary Zulfiqar Ali reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the ICJ and its role in resolving legal disputes between states.
The statement placed particular emphasis on the court’s recent advisory opinion concerning Israel’s obligations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Humanitarian access in focus
Pakistan welcomed the court’s finding that Israel, as the occupying power, has legal obligations relating to humanitarian relief operations carried out by the United Nations and its agencies.
The issue has become a central part of international debate over the delivery of aid to Palestinians affected by the conflict.
Pakistan’s intervention linked that humanitarian question to a wider concern: whether international legal institutions can operate effectively when their findings concern politically sensitive disputes.
The ICJ is the United Nations’ principal judicial body. It decides legal disputes submitted by states and issues advisory opinions on legal questions referred by authorised UN bodies.
Those two functions are different. Judgments in cases between states are binding on the parties involved, while advisory opinions are not generally binding, although they carry legal authority.
Call for respect for international law
Pakistan urged governments to uphold the principles of the UN Charter and strengthen the court’s role in international affairs.
The appeal comes amid continuing disagreements over how international legal findings should be implemented, particularly when they involve armed conflicts.
The statement did not announce a new legal case brought by Pakistan or a fresh ruling by the court.
Instead, it set out Islamabad’s position during the General Assembly’s review of the ICJ’s work, with humanitarian access in Palestinian territory serving as a prominent example of the issues before the court.
Pakistan Report illustration.