India has just completed its first week as the President of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Throughout August, India will be presiding over all the deliberations which take place at the powerful and exclusive intergovernmental body. What this means is that Pakistan and China are going to have a painful and long month, replete with snubs from the UNSC. Within its first week of UNSC presidency, India called for an emergency meeting of all UNSC members to discuss the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban is continuing its offensive against the civilian government and Afghan security forces.
Interestingly, India did not bother to invite Pakistan to the said meeting held on Friday, and instead, made it a point to attack the terror-sponsoring state for vitiating the atmosphere in Afghanistan. Pakistan considers itself a major stakeholder in Afghanistan and has been supporting the Taliban in its endeavour to grab power from the existing government in Kabul. To not be invited to a UNSC meeting which discusses Afghanistan, and which is presided over by India is just too big of a heartburn for Pakistan.
Pakistan has expressed regret that it was not invited to the United National Security Council (UNSC) meeting on the situation in Afghanistan. In a statement, the Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) said the UN platform was used to propagate a false narrative against the Islamic nation while denying it the opportunity to present its point of view.
In the statement, Pakistan ranted, “Pakistan is the closest neighbour of Afghanistan whose contribution in the ongoing peace process has been recognized by the international community…Pakistan calls upon all sides in Afghanistan to eschew the military approach and work together to secure an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement. It is equally important to remain cognisant of spoilers, both within and outside.”
This breakdown came after India and Afghanistan pointed out Pakistan’s involvement in the violence taking place in the war-torn country. The Taliban has been waging a war against the Afghan security forces at the behest of Pakistan, which is why India took a veiled dig at Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorists. Indian Ambassador to the UN, T S Tirumurti said, “For enduring peace in Afghanistan, terrorist safe havens and sanctuaries in the region must be dismantled immediately and terrorist supply chains disrupted. It needs to be ensured that Afghanistan’s neighbours and the region are not threatened by terrorism, separatism, and extremism.”
Afghanistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ghulam Isaczai also launched a scathing attack on Pakistan, saying it was providing safe haven and logistical support to the Taliban. Isaczai told the Council, “Graphic reports and video of Taliban fighters congregating close to the Durand Line to enter Afghanistan, fundraising events, transfer of dead bodies for mass burial, and treatment of injured Taliban in Pakistani hospitals are emerging and are widely available.”
Therefore, India and Afghanistan together thrashed Pakistan, and got all UNSC members, including China, to condemn the violence that is taking place in Afghanistan. China has cordial ties with the Taliban, and the organisation would have wanted it to stand by it at the UNSC. However, due to India’s sheer brilliance at international diplomacy, China was left trapped, and being seen as the only country which stands by the Taliban at UNSC would have been a disaster for it. So, it was forced to condemn the violence taking place in Afghanistan.
In its second week of presidency, India will hold a virtual meeting on maritime security. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be chairing the said meeting and open a debate on ‘Enhancing Maritime Security- A case for International Cooperation’ on August 9. Ambassador T S Tirumurti said, “The Maritime Security high-level event with be the first of its kind in the Security Council. This holistic concept has never been discussed before in the Council. This is also something of high priority to our Prime Minister for international peace and security.”
The maritime security meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Modi will make China sweat the life out of itself – since it is the most fanatic country which engages in hostile maritime action across the Indo-Pacific, especially in the South China Sea and the East China Sea.
The Indian presidency of the UNSC is thus proving to be immensely costly for “all weather allies” Pakistan and China. The best part, however, is that the fun has only begun.
