India has slammed Pakistan for repeatedly trying to raise the Kashmir issue at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) with China’s help where it failed again to find any support, with New Delhi asserting that Islamabad needs to focus on the hard tasks it has to address to ensure normal bilateral ties.
China, Pakistan’s ‘all-weather ally’, on Wednesday stood alone in the Pakistani corner to get the Security Council to focus on the Kashmir issue.
The latest attempt failed as other countries of the 15-member council felt Kashmir is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan.
Earlier, China made the fresh pitch to raise the Kashmir issue under ‘other matters’ during closed consultations in the Security Council Consultations Room.
“We once again saw an effort made by one member state of the UN, fail in plain view of all others,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said.
“We are happy that neither alarmist scenario painted by the representatives of Pakistan nor any of the baseless allegations made repeatedly by representatives of Pakistan in the UN fora were found to be credible today,” said Mr. Akbaruddin
“We are glad that the effort was viewed as a distraction and it was pointed by many friends that bilateral mechanisms are available to raise and address issues that Pakistan may have in its ties with India,” he added.
A European source, heading into the UNSC meeting, described the discussions on Kashmir during the closed consultations to be ‘low key.’
Also read: UNSC discusses Kashmir situation for second time in five months
A top European diplomat said the issue should be resolved bilaterally and that it was a domestic affair.
Mr. Akbaruddin further said, “Pakistan’s practice of using false pretences to distract from addressing the malaise that afflicts it has run its course. We hope that Pakistan pays heed to the clear signals sent out here today and focusses on the hard tasks it has to address in order to ensure normal relations with India.”
Coming out of the meeting, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said, “We had a meeting on Jammu and Kashmir. And, I’m sure you all know that Foreign Minister of Pakistan wrote letters to the Security Council asking it to pay attention to the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir.”
Mr. Jun later said, “China has stated its position very clearly. We remain concerned about the situation on the ground (in Kashmir).” When asked if the meeting advanced anything, he said,” I am sure the meeting will help both the parties to understand the risk of further escalation and will encourage them to approach each other and have a dialogue and seek solutions through dialogue. I think that will be helpful.”
The current move by China was the third such attempt to raise the Kashmir issue at the UNSC since August, last when the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution was scrapped by the government, and the state was bifurcated into two union territories.
In August, China pushed for a UNSC meeting on Kashmir. However, the meeting did not yield desired results for China, as the member-states maintained that India’s move was an internal issue. Last month, France, United States, United Kingdom and Russia foiled an attempt by China to discuss Kashmir at a closed-door meeting of the UNSC.
China has criticised New Delhi for making Ladakh a union territory and lays claim over several parts of Ladakh.
“An internationally recognised dispute, Jammu and Kashmir remains on the Security Council’s agenda and its consideration by the Council reflects a recognition of the seriousness of the prevailing situation,” said Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Mr. Khan also said that the issue must be resolved in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the will of the people of Kashmir. “We will continue to provide moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people until they secure their inalienable right to self-determination,” he added.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi claimed that the UN has confirmed during its meeting on Kashmir that India’s action of scrapping Jammu and Kashmir’s special status has increased tension in the region.
“In the closed meeting of the Council, representatives of the UN and the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), briefed the participants. The UN in its briefing confirmed that India’s August 5 measures resulted in the rise of tensions and that the ‘local situation’ remains tense,” Mr. Qureshi said.
India maintains that the UNMOGIP, established in January 1949, has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control.
“The UNSC is monitoring the situation,” said Mr. Qureshi, who is on a three-day visit to the US as a part of Pakistan’s efforts to defuse the tensions between US and Iran.
