United Nations, Sep 26 India strongly hit back at Pakistan in the UN General Assembly on Saturday, asserting that arguments by the “serial practitioner of terrorism” to normalise the scourge and claim immunity from its consequences will not stand.
In his address to the General Debate at the high-level 81st session of the UN General Assembly, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also said that targeting of commercial shipping and seafarers transiting international waterways is “simply unacceptable”.
During his address, Jaishankar also urged world leaders that “endless war must now give way to an end to conflict,” expressing concern over the ongoing hostilities in the Gulf and referring to the situation in Ukraine as “equally troubling.”
“Yesterday, a serial practitioner of terrorism misrepresented facts before this Assembly,” Jaishankar said, in a veiled reference to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who had raised the Kashmir issue in his address at the UN on Friday.
Without naming Pakistan and Sharif’s address, Jaishankar said arguments were invoked to “normalise terrorism, and claim immunity from its consequences.”
“That will not stand,” he stressed.
“Our right to defend ourselves against terrorism will be exercised,” Jaishankar said, asserting that “friendship and goodwill cannot co-exist with terrorism”.
“And understandings premised on that will naturally be called into question. It is for the perpetrator of terrorism to mend its ways,” he said.
Jaishankar told world leaders that a persistent threat to peace has been the scourge of terrorism. “That this could be state-sponsored, with a cross-border purpose, makes it a direct affront to the global order,” he said.
He called for governments indulging in such practices to be held accountable. “There must be no dilution in our zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism. Its financial aspects, in particular, should be exposed and should be countered,” he said.
Referring to the Gulf conflict, Jaishankar said the world is witnessing a conflict that is exacerbating an already difficult situation. “We remain deeply concerned over continuing hostilities,” he said.
The minister said that the targeting of commercial shipping and seafarers transiting international waterways is “simply unacceptable”.
“India calls upon all parties to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, ensure protection of civilians, and uninterrupted flow of energy and commerce,” he said.
He emphasised that new challenges in the maritime domain have added to longstanding ones on land.
“There have been attacks on commercial shipping and seafarers in the Gulf, and from the Red Sea to the Black Sea. Indian seafarers have lost their lives, as indeed have others from other nations. This is completely unacceptable,” Jaishankar said.
He told the session that India has joined Liberia and 23 other partners in an initiative to rally global public opinion against such unwarranted targeting.
“We must ensure that the safety and security of shipping and seafarers is never compromised. Scrupulously observing international law is an integral element of that endeavour.”
India and Liberia announced on Friday the establishment of the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers, a landmark maritime initiative launched amid continued attacks on commercial shipping.
His remarks came days after an attack on Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier MV Cape Dao in the Gulf of Oman, in which an Indian sailor lost his life. Earlier, a Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia was struck while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. An Indian crew member went missing after that incident.
A significant number of Indian seafarers serve onboard both Indian-flagged and foreign-flagged vessels operating in or transiting through these regions, exposing them to associated maritime security risks.
Stating that the conflict in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, “is equally concerning,” Jaishankar referred to comments by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, saying “endless war must give way now to an end to war.”
Jaishankar said India supports ongoing initiatives to bring peace. “Even as this is underway, there is an urgent need to address the security of seafarers, and supply of food grains and energy. India is prepared to do everything possible to ameliorate this situation, especially with regard to food and energy security,” he said.
India also voiced regret over the violence in West Asia.
“We strongly believe that a durable and lasting peace requires a Two State solution. In the meantime, India is contributing to humanitarian assistance and relief efforts for the Palestinian people,” he said.
He said that the world is witnessing a “weaponisation of everything”, where a mindset of “extreme competition” is undermining institutions and establishing chokepoints.
Underlining that peace is not just the absence of war, Jaishankar said, “If the world is subjected to continuous threats and pressures, then we are really living on the edge of an abyss. All it takes is one more step to push us over.”
Jaishankar asserted that it is imperative to strengthen stability, security and predictability, calling these “crucial elements” of the enabling environment for peace.
“If any of them are undermined, peace will inevitably be weakened,” he said.
Jaishankar also said that the case for reformed multilateralism is only getting stronger day after day as the inability of global institutions to maintain peace is threatening progress and retarding development.
“We are now well on our way towards a multi-polar world. The post-1945 order is giving way to new realities. This process of adjustment, accommodation and acceptance will not be easy. Much of the turbulence that we witness today emanates from those very difficulties,” he said.
He said the march of an intrinsically diverse world, towards a more democratic future, cannot be halted.
“Peace in a pluralistic order requires civil conversations; it requires broad-based consultations; it requires transparent decision-making. Large sections of humanity cannot be excluded from that process. The case for reformed multilateralism only gets stronger day after day,” he said.
Jaishankar said the United Nations, which enters its ninth decade, was founded to maintain international peace and security, and take effective collective actions to that end.
“Yet, even as we meet, conflicts and confrontations remain our primary preoccupation. The inability to maintain peace is not just undermining security, but threatening progress, and retarding development.
“In a globalised world, the effects of war are felt worldwide. Countries far from conflicts are being penalised for no fault of theirs. Those most impacted often have the least say. This Assembly must face up to the true state of affairs,” he added.
(PTI News)
