NEW YORK, Aug 19 (NNN-BERNAMA) — The abrogation of Article 370 on Kashmir’s status by the Indian Government was discussed on Friday in an informal, closed-door meeting of the United Nations Security Nations (UNSC), though many experts said that it ended, at least as of now, on a tame note.
The UNSC closed-door meeting had been proposed by China at Pakistan’s request.
Supported by China, a permanent UNSC member, Pakistan had written to the United Nations hoping to raise the abrogation of Section 370 at a formal UNSC meeting. However, the issue was discussed, instead, in a closed-door UNSC meeting.
Although Pakistan portrayed the UNSC meeting as a “victory”, there was no evidence to suggest that this was the case.
Indeed, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Maleeha Lodi, taking shelter behind platitudes, appeared before UN-accredited journalists, including this correspondent, after the closed-door UNSC meeting – neither India nor Pakistan, which are not member of the Security Council, attended the UNSC meeting – to “thank the members of the Security Council for their support to the Kashmiris”.
“The voice of the Kashmiri people, the voice of the people of occupied Kashmir has been heard today in the highest diplomatic forum of the world,” she claimed though some of the journalists appeared nonplussed over her remarks because, as one Arab journalist commented, there was “nothing concrete” to prove her claim. There was not even an unofficial statement issued after the meeting.
But after a three-minute-long briefing, Lodi hurriedly sauntered away, not turning back to the shouts of journalists wanting to ask her questions.
Prior to Lodi’s briefing, the Chinese permanent representative to the UN, Zhang Jun, held his own press conference to explain China’s stance on the issue.
“They (UNSC members) are also concerned about the human rights situation there and also, it is the general view of the members that parties concerned should refrain from taking any unilateral action which might further aggravate the tension there,” Zhang said.
China itself faces a lot of criticism in the US because of the violent clashes between protesters and the authorities in Hong Kong. Pakistan has not received a broad-based support in today’s UNSC meeting, according to a number of experts who said that the Chinese ambassador’s statement did not constitute the broad-based view of the UNSC members.
The United States, joined by France and the Dominican Republic, had fiercely opposed discussing Kashmir even in an informal UNSC meeting.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, it is learnt, made a last-minute attempt to persuade the US to side with Pakistan by calling US President Donald Trump shortly before the UNSC meeting, and explained to him Pakistan’s position and the “imminent danger to world peace” because of India’s move.
India’s permanent representative, Syed Akbaruddin, dismissed Pakistan’s allegations, saying that Kashmir was India’s internal matter, adding that Pakistan was interfering in its internal matters and misleading the world.
Addressing a press conference after the briefings of the Chinese and Pakistani envoys, Akbaruddin emphasized that Article 370 has “no external ramifications”. “Our national position was, and remains, that matter related to Article 370 of the Indian Constitution is entirely an internal matter of India.” He pointed out that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir was moving towards normalcy. “Internal changes are not changing the external orientation. We are committed to all the agreement we have signed on this issue,” he said.
Akbaruddin also said that the Indian government’s decision was intended to promote good governance and development in Jammu and Kashmir. “India remains committed to ensure that the situation in J&K remains calm and peaceful,” he said.
“These have no external ramifications, the recent decisions taken by the Government of India and our legislative bodies are intended to ensure that good governance is promoted, social-economic development is enhanced for our people in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh,” he said.
Akbaruddin, who was also posted to Pakistan, said, “I have been a member of many delegations to Islamabad. There are normal ways of dealing but no democracy will acknowledge if you use terror to push your goals. Stop terror to start talks.”
“We note that there were some who tried to project an alarmist approach to the situation which is far from the ground realities. Of particular concern is that one state is using the terminology of ‘jihad’ against and promoting violence in India including by their leaders,” he said, adding that China and Pakistan had tried to pass their thought as the “thought of the world community” . “… the view of China is not a global opinion.”
“History knows that the last agreement (also known as the Shimla Agreement) we signed in 1972, we adhere to that, but Pakistan also needs to follow that. We can go back in history. Every new agreement overtakes the past. We have already extended our friendship according to the Shimla agreement and we are committed to that,” he said.
— NNN-BERNAMA
