Stop playing victim’: Pakistani ambassador bashes Israel to its face at UN Security Council meeting

By Muhammad MubashirPublished On 13 Sep 2025

As per the details, Pakistan and Israel traded barbs during the emergency meeting of the UNSC on Thursday as Islamabad’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, started his address criticising Tel Aviv for violating Qatar’s sovereignty.

“The brazen and illegal assault is not an isolated incident, rather it is part of a broader and consistent pattern of aggression and violation of international law by Israel that undermines regional peace and stability,” he said.

Ahmad described the attack on Doha as “yet another manifestation of systematic disregard for international law” by Israel, and its brazen policy of destabilising the region.

When the floor was given to the Israeli ambassador, he hit back with reference to the United States (US) raid that killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil.

“When bin Laden was eliminated in Pakistan, the question asked was not why a terrorist was targeted on foreign soil. The question was why a terrorist was given shelter at all. The same question must be asked today,” he said and added there could be “no immunity for Hamas” just as there could be no immunity for bin Laden.

Exercising Pakistan’s right of reply, Ambassador Ahmad rejected the analogy as “unacceptable and ludicrous”, accusing Israel of attempting to deflect attention from its own “illegal actions and violations of international law”.

“Israel is an occupier, a serial violator of the UN Charter and international law, that threatens the international community, humanitarian organisations and even the UN itself… and does so with impunity,” Ahmad said.

“Despite being the aggressor, it pretends to be the victim. But today, it stands fully exposed,” he added.

Highlighting Pakistan’s frontline role in combating terrorism, Ahmad said that the international community was well aware of Pakistan’s sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.

“Al Qaeda was largely decimated due to Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts, and we remain committed to this collective endeavour,” he said, reinforcing that Islamabad’s position was based on facts and international law.

Following Pakistan’s firm response, the Israeli ambassador accused Pakistan and others of “having double standards”.

“Maybe he was offended by my words and I apologise for that, but I make sure my speeches stick to facts. And the fact is, Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan, and no one condemned the US for that. When other countries attack terrorists, no one condemns them,” he said.