UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who is on a three-day visit to Pakistan, talked about human rights and fundamental rights in Kashmir and offered mediation between Indian and Pakistan over Kashmir issue. “I am deeply concerned about the increase in tensions (in Jammu and Kashmir) that we have witnessed last year,” said Guterres.
The Indian government has responded to UN chief in very tough words and said that focus should be on getting vacated the territories “illegally and forcibly occupied by Pakistan”, which means Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
“India’s position has not changed. Jammu and Kashmir has been, is and will continue to be an integral part of India. The issue that needs to be addressed is that of vacation of the territories illegally and forcibly occupied by Pakistan. Further issues, if any, would be discussed bilaterally. There is no role or scope for third party mediation,” said MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.
A few days ago, foreign minister S Jaishankar has said that United Nations is far less credible today at Munich Security Conference in Germany. United Nations is far less credible today than it used to be, “which is not surprising because when you think about it, there are not too many things which are 75 years old and still as good as they were” and added, “Clearly, there is something that needs to be done there.” He also said that the world, including countries like the United States and China, has turned more nationalistic, and therefore, an intergovernmental organization is bound to lose its credibility.
Foreign minister was at the forefront of defending India’s position on the global platform after the abrogation of Article 370 from the legal status of Jammu & Kashmir and Citizen (Amendment) Bill. He maintained that both of these ‘internal matter’ of India and the global community has no business to interfere in the internal matter of any sovereign country.
The UN General Secretary said the words dear to Pakistan and offered to use his office for the conflict resolution. “I have offered my good offices in relation to the dispute. He further noted that he exchanged thoughts with Qureshi on the security situation in South Asia and that mediation, as well as talks, were the only solution to regional conflicts,” he said.
However, as Chanakya School of foreign policy, where “national interest” is supreme, is the driving ideology of India under the Modi government, the organizations which take anti-India stance will get a befitting repose.
S Jaishankar, the foreign minister of the country, has been at the forefront of crafting India’s new foreign policy, first as Foreign Secretary of India and then as Foreign Minister of India.
It must be noted that Dr Jaishankar is among the most educated politicians and diplomats of the country. He comes from a family that has been very influential in security and strategic affairs of the country. His father, Krishnaswamy Subrahmanyam, a proponent of Realpolitik, was the second director of New Delhi based Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses. Born to K Subrahmanyam, S Jaishankar was educated at Cambridge School Srinivaspuri and St Stephen’s College, New Delhi. He completed his Masters in Political Science from and PhD in international relations from JNU, where he specialized in nuclear diplomacy.
He joined Indian Foreign Service in 1977 and has been High Commissioner to Singapore. He also served as Ambassador to China and the United States. Jaishankar was appointed as Foreign Secretary of India in January 2015 by Modi government and retired after a three-year tenure at the post. Modi government made him Minister of External Affairs when it came to power with an even greater majority in 2019.
