Pakistan's Terror Doctrine Exposes 'Hollow Commitment' To UN Charter: India Warns Of Consequences For Cross-Border Terrorism

 

 

Strongly criticising Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), India has said there would be consequences for sponsoring cross-border terrorism and asserted that New Delhi has every right to defend itself against such attacks.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, made the remarks during the UNSC Open Debate on "Upholding the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter and Strengthening the UN-Centered International System" on Wednesday (IST).

 

 

Harish said the world today is facing "fragmentation and confrontation" while the UN system is stuck in the past. He highlighted growing concerns over the "legitimacy, efficacy and relevance" of the United Nations, especially the role of the UN Security Council in delivering on its mandate of maintenance of international peace and security.

"World War II was not our war, but India paid dearly for it. Therefore, becoming UN's founding member was reflective of our yearning for peace. While global politics of colonialism ensured that India was not duly recognised for its significant sacrifices, we have never compromised on our unwavering faith in the UN and in multilateralism, he said.

Parvathaneni Harish delivered India's statement at the UN Security Council Open Debate on Upholding the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter and Strengthening the UN-centered International System. (X@IndiaUNNewYork)

The Indian ambassador further pointed out that although the UN Charter had mandated a review conference in 1955, no major review has taken place so far except increasing the number of elected UNSC members from six to 10 and expanding ECOSOC membership from 18 to 54.

 

Calling for reforms in the Security Council, Harish said the current UN structure is "frozen in the 1940s" and does not reflect present-day geopolitical realities. "The world is now characterised by fragmentation and confrontation. Central to UN's challenges today is an architecture that is frozen in the 1940s. The UN cannot be indifferent to a fundamental evolutionary principle of adapting to changing times," Harish said.

He stressed that brute force and power politics cannot strengthen multilateralism and said countries must show a spirit of cooperation and compromise for the larger global good.

 

Harish also called for strengthening the UN General Assembly and demanded expansion in the permanent category of the UNSC to make its decision-making process more representative. "The UN Security Council must be a living instrument, not a fossil," he said, while calling for greater transparency in the functioning of the Council.

Slamming Pakistan over terrorism, Harish said independent India began its journey while battling cross-border aggression from Pakistan. "The use of cross-border terrorism by Pakistan and its doctrine of 'bleeding India by a thousand cuts' exposes its hollow rhetoric of commitment to the UN Charter," he said.

"India has every right to defend itself from such cross-border terrorism. Pakistan will have to accept that there are consequences to its sponsorship of cross-border terrorism," he added.