'The bridge between confrontation and peace': Pakistan calls for stronger mediation efforts to prevent conflicts

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan on Monday renewed its call for restraint, de-escalation and a return to diplomacy in the ongoing Middle East crisis, saying that dialogue and mediation remain the only sustainable path to resolving conflicts. Addressing the UN General Assembly during a debate on strengthening mediation in conflict prevention and resolution, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said Islamabad had consistently advocated diplomacy in the recent tensions involving Iran and the United States. “As a friendly neighbour of Iran, a brotherly partner of the Gulf countries, and a country with longstanding ties of amity with the United States, Pakistan continues to make sincere efforts to facilitate a durable solution for regional and global peace and stability,” he said. The Pakistani envoy used the occasion to press for a stronger role for mediation and preventive diplomacy in addressing international disputes before they escalate into crises. “Conflicts are not inevitable. They are often the result of diplomacy delayed, dialogue denied, and disputes left to fester,” Ambassador Ahmad told the Assembly. “The first responsibility of the United Nations is not merely to respond to conflicts after they erupt, but to prevent them before they consume lives, regions and generations,” he said. He noted that Pakistan’s commitment to peaceful dispute settlement was reflected in Security Council Resolution 2788, adopted unanimously in July 2025 on Pakistan’s initiative. The resolution reaffirmed the importance of Chapter VI of the UN Charter, encouraged the use of mediation and the Secretary-General’s good offices, and underscored the role of regional and subregional organisations in resolving disputes peacefully. Ambassador Ahmad argued that mediation should become a central pillar of international conflict prevention rather than a tool used only after violence breaks out. “Mediation must become the guiding principle of preve