UNITED NATIONS, Oct 27 (APP):Pakistan Monday urged the UN Security Council to accelerate the identification of Kuwaiti nationals missing since the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, emphasizing that suffering families deserve immediate closure.
“It is a matter of concern that no new identifications were made during the reporting period,” Acting Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, Usman Jadoon, told the 15-member Council where delegates agreed on the urgency of establishing the fate of missing Kuwaiti citizens and third-country nationals, returning their remains to their families, as well as Kuwaiti property, to finally overcome the burdensome legacy of the tragic events of 1990–1991.
Welcoming reaffirmation by “brotherly” Iraq and Kuwait of mutual respect, he said Pakistan hoped that this would prove to be an important foundation for advancing the search for missing persons and the return of property as well as archives.
“For families who have waited decades to learn the fate of their loved ones, every credible lead holds renewed hope,” the Pakistani delegate said, emphasizing that this longstanding humanitarian file deserved determined and more intensified efforts aimed at its resolution.
“We recognize the disappointment on the lack of progress and also acknowledge the difficult circumstances and the technical complexities of a search spanning several decades,” he said.
“Efforts to locate and return missing Kuwaiti property, including the national archives, must likewise remain a priority,” Ambassador Jadoon pointed out.
Briefing the Security Council, Mari Yamashita, Senior Representative of the Secretary-General for the Implementation of Security Council resolution 2792 (2025) affirmed that out of the original 605 missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals, the fate of only 290 individuals were clarified over the past three decades, while 315 remain missing — including 308 from Kuwait — with August 2023 the last time an identity was confirmed.
She recalled visiting Iraq and Kuwait twice and attending in observer capacity two meetings of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)-led Tripartite mechanism. Extensive efforts undertaken include excavations of 14,000 trenches at the Khamisiyah site, where the Technical Subcommittee is focused, as it is presumed to contain the remains of between 150 and 180 missing Kuwaiti nationals.
“If confirmed, this would account for at least half of the remaining caseload,” Ms. Yamashita stated. However, “new witnesses are increasingly difficult to identify”, she said, stressing: “We are running out of time.”
Citing challenges, including a key witness who provided accounts that differ from his original testimony and is no longer willing to cooperate, Ms. Yamashita voiced regret that “the Government of Iraq was not able to secure his participation”.
Source: APP (Associated Press of Pakistan)
