[ad_1]
NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday lashed out at Pakistan for spreading “baseless and deceitful narratives” at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
During a debate on the annual report, Pratik Mathur, the minister at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, stated that one delegation had misused the forum to disseminate “baseless and deceitful” narratives, without directly naming Pakistan.
“Earlier in the day, one delegation misused this forum to spread baseless and deceitful narratives, which is not a surprise. I will not dignify these remarks with any response just to save valuable time of this august body,” Mathur said.
The Indian envoy’s comments came in response to Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN, Munir Akram, who had mentioned Kashmir in his speech at the UNGA. Pakistan frequently raises the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at various UN platforms and other international forums, regardless of the meetings’ agendas.
India has consistently rejected Pakistan’s attempts to bring up the Kashmir issue on international platforms, maintaining that the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are “integral parts of India” and that Pakistan has no “locus standi” to comment on India’s internal matters.
During the UNGA debate, Pratik Mathur emphasized the necessity for a comprehensive reform of the Security Council, including the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent members. He welcomed the opportunity to participate in the debate on the Security Council’s report and congratulated the newly elected members for the period 2025-2026, expressing India’s eagerness to work with them constructively and positively.
Mathur pointed out that the UN Charter attaches great importance to the annual report of the Security Council, as evidenced by the existence of a separate provision mandating such a report. However, he noted that the debate on the annual report has become a ritual lacking substance, with the reports turning into a compendium of meeting details, briefers, and outcome documents.
He also mentioned that only six monthly reports were compiled last year, reflecting a lack of interest among the members regarding this ritual.
The Indian diplomat further stated that the annual report should provide an analysis of UN peacekeeping operations, the primary tool for maintaining international peace and security. However, he observed that there is little information on how peacekeeping operations are conducted, the challenges they face, or the reasons behind setting, changing, strengthening, scaling down, or ending certain mandates.
Mathur emphasized the need for a better partnership between the Security Council and the Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs), as most peacekeepers are contributed by non-Council members who put their troops’ lives at risk to serve the cause of international peace.
Mathur stressed the importance of aligning the Security Council with its Charter responsibility to act on behalf of the entire membership, stating that the only solution is a comprehensive reform of the Security Council, involving the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent members.
He expressed India’s conviction that this reform is necessary to enable the Council to effectively manage today’s global conflicts and the increasingly complex and interconnected challenges it faces.
During a debate on the annual report, Pratik Mathur, the minister at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, stated that one delegation had misused the forum to disseminate “baseless and deceitful” narratives, without directly naming Pakistan.
“Earlier in the day, one delegation misused this forum to spread baseless and deceitful narratives, which is not a surprise. I will not dignify these remarks with any response just to save valuable time of this august body,” Mathur said.
The Indian envoy’s comments came in response to Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN, Munir Akram, who had mentioned Kashmir in his speech at the UNGA. Pakistan frequently raises the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at various UN platforms and other international forums, regardless of the meetings’ agendas.
India has consistently rejected Pakistan’s attempts to bring up the Kashmir issue on international platforms, maintaining that the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are “integral parts of India” and that Pakistan has no “locus standi” to comment on India’s internal matters.
During the UNGA debate, Pratik Mathur emphasized the necessity for a comprehensive reform of the Security Council, including the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent members. He welcomed the opportunity to participate in the debate on the Security Council’s report and congratulated the newly elected members for the period 2025-2026, expressing India’s eagerness to work with them constructively and positively.
Mathur pointed out that the UN Charter attaches great importance to the annual report of the Security Council, as evidenced by the existence of a separate provision mandating such a report. However, he noted that the debate on the annual report has become a ritual lacking substance, with the reports turning into a compendium of meeting details, briefers, and outcome documents.
He also mentioned that only six monthly reports were compiled last year, reflecting a lack of interest among the members regarding this ritual.
The Indian diplomat further stated that the annual report should provide an analysis of UN peacekeeping operations, the primary tool for maintaining international peace and security. However, he observed that there is little information on how peacekeeping operations are conducted, the challenges they face, or the reasons behind setting, changing, strengthening, scaling down, or ending certain mandates.
Mathur emphasized the need for a better partnership between the Security Council and the Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs), as most peacekeepers are contributed by non-Council members who put their troops’ lives at risk to serve the cause of international peace.
Mathur stressed the importance of aligning the Security Council with its Charter responsibility to act on behalf of the entire membership, stating that the only solution is a comprehensive reform of the Security Council, involving the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent members.
He expressed India’s conviction that this reform is necessary to enable the Council to effectively manage today’s global conflicts and the increasingly complex and interconnected challenges it faces.
[ad_2]
Source link
