Pakistan, June 30 -- Pakistan called on the UN Security Council to pressure Israel into immediately ending settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Islamabad said the settlements violate international law and remain a major obstacle to lasting regional peace. The appeal targets the Security Council while directly affecting Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.

Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said ending the Israeli occupation remains the ultimate objective. He reiterated Pakistan's support for an independent, sovereign, and contiguous Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its...