India hit back strongly at Pakistan, accusing it of spreading “lies” when Jammu and Kashmir was mentioned during the debate on peacekeeping operations in the United Nations.
Rajya Sabha member and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, “India has chosen its right to respond in response to the comments made by Pakistan, which has once again attempted to divert this prestigious institution from its agenda. Have done.” ,
Pakistan should desist from rhetoric: Sudhanshu Trivedi
Video courtesy: PTI
His comments came during a debate on peacekeeping operations at the UN General Assembly’s Special Committee on Political and Decolonization (Fourth Committee) here on Friday.
Mr Trivedi stressed that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and will remain an integral part of India.”
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir have recently exercised their democratic and electoral rights and elected a new government. Pakistan should avoid such rhetoric and lies as it will not change the facts,” Mr Trivedi said.
He said that out of respect for the distinguished members of the UN forum, India would refrain from responding to any attempts by Pakistan to “abuse” UN processes.
Mr Trivedi drew a strong response from India after the Pakistani representative talked about India and the United Nations Military Observer Group in Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which is mandated to monitor the ceasefire along the Line of Control.
India maintains that UNMOGIP has outlived its utility and is irrelevant following the Shimla Agreement and the resulting establishment of the Line of Control.
Later in a post on Pakistan’s involvement with UN peacekeeping began when the UN deployed peacekeepers to the Jammu and Kashmir region in 1948.
Mr Trivedi said he “strongly objected to this comment”, exercised his right to reply and “strongly stated that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will remain an integral part of India.”
“It has recently gone through a proper democratic election. Therefore the August Forum of the United Nations cannot be used to mention such non-original and misleading words,” Mr Trivedi said.
He said this was possible due to the “strong foreign policies” of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government for a “strong and assertive India on the international stage”.
Mr Trivedi is part of a delegation of 12 Members of Parliament from India who are visiting the United Nations for diverse engagements at the world body.
Earlier, making a statement on the comprehensive review of peacekeeping operations, Mr Trivedi said that recent conflicts are more challenging, spreading across myriad areas with volatile and complex settings, now also involving terrorism and armed groups that Taking advantage of the situation, they are rendering their services. Objective.
“India is at the forefront of efforts to contribute to peacekeeping efforts as the largest cumulative troop contributor to UN peacekeeping operations.”
He said India’s cumulative experience is that in most cases today, the resolution of conflict lies in the socio-political arena.
Highlighting the importance of a “realistic mandate”, he said, “We must emphasize practical and achievable mandates. Mission failures can be attributed to non-strong mandates. This is what typically results when we exclude troop or police contributing countries from initial mandate creation processes, which we should avoid.
He further said that in recent years, peacekeepers have experienced widespread asymmetric threats ranging from land mines to IEDs. “We cannot remain indifferent to this possibility.”
Shri Trivedi also underlined that India maintains the protection of peacekeepers as one of the most important aspects of peacekeeping in complex conflict scenarios involving both state and non-state actors.
“It is imperative that those who commit crimes against peacekeepers are brought to justice and held accountable for these crimes,” he said.
He further said that meaningless peacekeeping missions that exist for political purposes are a waste of dwindling resources.
“Exit strategies for peacekeeping missions need to be built in from their inception,” he said.
India is one of the largest troop contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions.
Shri Trivedi also recalled the resolution passed by the General Assembly on setting up a memorial wall for martyred peacekeepers at a prominent place at the United Nations Headquarters. “We have many challenges before us, many decisions have to be taken to ensure that the memorial wall is installed in accordance with its sanctity and its purpose,” he said.
“UN peacekeeping is not just an operation, it is a mission of utmost dedication. UN peacekeepers are making sacrifices not only for the nationality, but for the entire humanity,” he said.
published – November 09, 2024 12:31 PM IST
