How S Jaishankar reacted to Kashmir remark by Bilawal ‘Bhutto’ Zardari at UN

Without naming any country, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar slammed neighbouring Pakistan whose Foreign Minister Bilawal ‘Bhutto’ Zardari had raked up the issue of Kashmir during a UN gathering in New York City to discuss the issue of multilateralism. India’s foreign minister said the credibility of the UN depended on its effective response to the key challenges of the times — be it pandemic, climate change, conflicts or terrorism.

The Indian foreign minister said, “While searching for solutions, our discourse must never accept the normalisation of such threats. The question of justifying what the world regards as unacceptable should not even arise.”

“That certainly applies to state sponsorship of cross-border terrorism. Nor can hosting Osama Bin Laden and attacking a neighbouring Parliament serve as credentials to sermonise before this council,” Jaishankar said in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

The response from Jaishankar followed Bhutto’s act of raking up the issue of Kashmir during a meeting convened to debate the new orientation for reformed multilateralism (NORM) under India’s December presidency of UNSC.

The Pakistan foreign minister had said that UN Security Council (UNSC) is primarily responsible for maintaining international peace and security. “Multilateral solutions under the umbrella of the security council offer the most effective approach to promoting peace and resolving conflicts. Parties to a dispute cannot advocate multilateral process one day, multilateral reforms one day and insist on bilateral avenues the next and ultimately impose unilateral actions,” he said in reference to Jammu and Kashmir without naming them.

Bhutto had said Pakistan firmly believed that major security problems including those in its region could be effectively and peacefully resolved through the active involvement of the Security Council. “Multilateralism should be based on universal and consistent adherence to the UN charter,” he said.

Amidst calls for India’s inclusion in Security Council Bhutto said, “Adding new permanent members to UNSC will numerically reduce the opportunities for the vast majority of the UN member states to be present on the Security Council. We must adhere to sovereign equality of all, not superiority of some.”

This is not the first time Pakistan has used the UN stage meant for multilateral agenda to discuss its bilateral issues. India responds in equal measures and calls out its misuse of the UN stage.