In a veiled attack on Pakistan, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said state sponsorship of cross-border terrorism should never be justified because the world views it as unacceptable, citing the attack on the Indian Parliament and Pakistan’s “hosting” of Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden.
“Today, we are focused on the critical need to reform multilateralism. The UN’s credibility is dependent on how it responds to key challenges of our time, such as climate change, pandemics, conflicts, and terrorism. While we seek the best solution, we must never accept the normalisation of such threats in our discourse “During an open debate at the UN Security Council, Jaishankar stated.
“The question of justifying what the rest of the world considers unacceptable should never arise. This holds for state-sponsored cross-border terrorism, as well as hosting Osama Bin Laden and attacking a neighbouring Parliament as credentials to preach before this council “Without naming Pakistan, the foreign minister stated.
Jaishankar, who presided over the UN Security Council open debate on ‘Maintenance of International Peace and Security: New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism,’ also stated that the knock-on effects of conflict situations have made a strong case that “business as usual” in the multilateral domain cannot continue.
“On the issue of terrorism, even as the world comes together to respond more collectively, multilateral platforms are being misused to justify and protect perpetrators,” he said.
His remarks appeared to be a reference to repeated holds and blocks in the UN Security Council’s sanctions committee by veto-wielding permanent members such as China on proposals to blacklist terrorists, particularly those based on Pakistani soil such as Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar.
In his address to the powerful 15-nation Council, Jaishankar stated that reform is urgently needed. “And I am certain that the Global South, in particular, shares India’s resolve to persevere,” he said.
“We are all aware that the ‘Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in Security Council Membership’ has been on the UNGA agenda for well over three decades. While the reform debate has dragged on indefinitely, the real world has changed dramatically “He continued.
