External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar didn’t hold back his words while he demonstrated how the United Nations had failed in its comprehension and response to the situation.
The western injustice in the UN over Kashmir came under focus in The Raisina Dialogue, a world multilateral forum taking place annually in New Delhi. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made no bones when he demonstrated the failure of Uthe nited Nations to gauge and handle the situation.
Mr Jaishankar observed that the “longest-standing” illegal occupation of a region in the world after World War II has been faced by India – in Kashmir. The whole state of Jammu and Kashmir, comprising Gilgit and Baltistan, then referred to as Northern Areas before 1970, had joined India in 1947. Pakistan, in an act of unprovoked aggression, occupied Jammu and Kashmir and has since then been illegally occupying parts of the Indian Union.
Addressing Kashmir at the forum today, Mr Jaishankar brought to the forefront the selective way and application of international rules on matters related to sovereignty and territorial integrity.
While raising issues about historical injustices in addressing some matters, he advocated for a “reformed, strong, and fair” United Nations. Describing how the UN had seriously gone wrong in not condemning Pakistan’s illegal occupation of portions of Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Jaishankar averred that the “attacker” (Pakistan) and the “victim” (India) were placed under the same umbrella.
“We all talk of sovereignty and territorial integrity. We all acknowledge that it’s a fundamental principle. It’s the foundation of international norms. The longest ongoing illegal, if I may use the term, occupation of a territory by another nation refers to India, what we experienced in Kashmir,” he stated.
“Now we went to the UN, but what was an invasion was turned into a dispute. So the victim and the attacker were equalized. Who were the guilty ones? UK, Canada, Belgium, Australia, USA. So, forgive me, but I have question marks on that one,” the minister added. Supporting a reformed and robust UN, Mr Jaishankar added that international norms and rules have to be applied equally. “We need a robust UN but a robust UN needs a fair UN,” he stated.
