CHINA’S latest attempt to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Pakistan’s behalf has failed, with an overwhelming majority of the body expressing the view that it was not the right forum to discuss the bilateral issue between India and Pakistan. China, Pakistan’s ‘all-weather ally’, on Wednesday made the fresh pitch to raise the Kashmir issue under “other matters” during closed consultations in the Security Council Consultations Room. The overwhelming majority of the 15-member council was of view that it was not the right forum for such issues, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a briefing in New Delhi on Thursday when asked about the developments in the UNSC.
An attempt was made by Pakistan to misuse the UNSC, he said, adding that Islamabad has a choice to avoid such a global embarrassment in the future. Pakistan’s attempt to peddle baseless allegations and show an alarming scenario failed as it lacked credibility, he said. “We once again saw an effort made by one member State of the UN, fail in plain view of all others,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said in New York. “We are happy that neither alarmist scenario painted by the representatives of Pakistan nor any of the baseless allegations made repeatedly by representatives of Pakistan in the UN fora were found to be credible today,” he told PTI.
“We are glad that the effort was viewed as a distraction and it was pointed by many friends that bilateral mechanisms are available to raise and address issues that Pakistan may have in its ties with India,” he said. A European source described the discussions on Kashmir during the closed consultations to be “low key.” “Pakistan’s practice of using false pretences to distract from addressing the malaise that afflicts it has run its course. We hope that Pakistan pays heed to the clear signals sent out here on Thursday and focusses on the hard tasks it has to address in order to ensure normal relations with India,” Akbaruddin added. Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said: “We had a meeting on Jammu and Kashmir. And I’m sure you all know that Foreign Minister of Pakistan wrote letters to the Security Council asking it to pay attention to the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The issue of India and Pakistan has always been on the agenda of the Security Council and today we have also seen some tensions, so the Security Council had a briefing and (it) heard at the briefing from the Secretariat concerning the current situation on the ground. Members exchanged views on that.” Zhang later said China has stated its “position very clearly. We remain concerned about the situation on the ground”. When asked if the meeting advanced anything, he said: “I am sure the meeting will help both the parties to understand the risk of further escalation and will encourage them to approach each other and have a dialogue and seek solutions through dialogue. I think that will be helpful.” The current move by China was the third such attempt to raise the Kashmir issue at the UNSC since August last when the Special Status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 was scrapped by the Government. In August, China pushed for a UNSC meeting on Kashmir. However, the meeting did not yield desired results for China as the member-States maintained that India’s move was an internal issue. Last month, France, the US, UK and Russia foiled an attempt by China to discuss Kashmir at a closed-door meeting of the UNSC.