External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, addressing the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, strongly condemned Pakistan's policy on Kashmir and cross-border terrorism. In his speech, Jaishankar reiterated that the only issue between India and Pakistan is the return of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) to India. He criticised Pakistan for harbouring terrorists, stating that their long-standing support for terrorism would not succeed and that their actions would face the consequences.
"Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism policy will never succeed. And it can have no expectation of impunity. On the contrary, actions will certainly have consequences. The issue to be resolved between us is now only the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan. And of course the abandonment of Pakistan’s longstanding attachment to terrorism," remarked the EAM during his UNGA address on September 28.
Jaishankar stressed that Pakistan’s internal instability, including radicalisation and terrorism, is a result of its own policies. He noted that the country’s "misdeeds" affect its society and destabilise the region. "When a polity instills such fanaticism among its people, its GDP can only be measured in terms of radicalisation and its exports in the form of terrorism," Jaishankar remarked, adding that Pakistan's troubles are a result of "karma".
"Today, we see the ills it sought to visit on others consume its own society. It can’t blame the world; this is only karma", he stated.
Earlier in the day, responding to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who raised the Kashmir issue at the UNGA and compared it to the Palestinian struggle, India had firmly rejected the claims.
Indian diplomat Bhavika Mangalanandan had sharply rebuked Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif, calling out the "audacity" of a military-led nation with a global reputation for terrorism and crime to criticise the world's largest democracy. Sharif had called for the reversal of India’s 2019 decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and accused India of military expansion. India, however, made it clear that Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter of India, and Pakistan must vacate PoK.
Jaishankar opened his speech at the UNGA by highlighting the grim state of global affairs, noting that the world is still grappling with the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the escalating conflict in Gaza. He stressed that development plans across the Global South have faltered, SDG targets are slipping, and while technological advancements once brought hope, they now also breed anxiety.
"The world is yet to recover from the ravages of the Covid pandemic. A war in Ukraine is well into its third year. The conflict in Gaza is acquiring wider ramifications," he said.
"Across the Global South, development plans have gone off rails and SDG targets are receding…..Technology advancements, which have long been a source of hope, are now equally a factor of anxiety. Climate events occur with greater intensity and frequency. Food security is as worrisome as health security," noted Jaishankar, further saying, "In truth, the world stands fractious, polarised and frustrated. Conversations have become difficult; agreements even more so".
Jaishankar shifted focus to the UN itself, urging the institution to reflect on its role and the erosion of the vision of global peace and prosperity that inspired its founding nearly eight decades ago. He noted that both peace and prosperity are now endangered due to eroded trust and broken processes, as countries have taken more from the international system than they’ve contributed, weakening it in the process.
The EAM then called for urgent reforms in multilateralism, stressing that the UN's mission of inclusion cannot be achieved if the organisation remains "paralysed" in the face of division, conflict, terrorism, violence, and crises in food, fuel, and fertiliser access.".
"Today, we find both peace and prosperity equally endangered.....because trust has eroded and processes have broken down..... Countries have extracted more from the international system than they have put into it, enfeebling it in the process...We see that vividly in every challenge and every crisis. Reforming multilateralism is, therefore, an imperative", he said.
The minister also launched a criticism of the Western-led global order while also indirectly targeting China, pointing out the risks of over-reliance on a single region for global production, the burden of unsustainable debt, connectivity projects that disregard sovereignty, and the exploitation of technology for dominance rather than empowerment.
"An important cause of many getting left behind has been the unfairness of the current globalisation model. Over-concentration of production has hollowed out many economies, impacting their employment and social stability", he said.
"Unfair trade practices threaten jobs, just as unviable projects raise debt levels. Any connectivity that flouts sovereignty and territorial integrity acquires strategic connotations. Especially when it is not a shared endeavour", further added the Union Minister.
Jaishankar called for the need for "democratising global production, creating resilient supply chains, providing trusted digital services, and fostering an open-source culture," stating that these elements contribute to widespread prosperity by offering both economic and social solutions.
The EAM, during his address at the UNGA, also underscored the pluralistic and diverse nature of the global order, noting the UN's expansion from 51 to 193 members, and highlighted the necessity of the UN as a central platform for tackling global challenges. He stressed the critical need to uphold international law amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict and the Ukraine war, cautioned against rising polarisation, and called for reforms within institutions like the UN.
"The global order is inherently pluralistic and diverse.....But to address both and indeed to strengthen the order itself, it is essential that the UN be the central platform for finding common ground. And that it certainly cannot be, by remaining anachronistic", he noted.
He noted, "Large parts of the world cannot be left behind when it comes to deciding the key issues of our times. An effective and efficient UN, a more representative UN, and a UN fit for purpose in the contemporary era, is essential".
Jaishankar concluded his UNGA address by stressing the importance of "not being left behind," urging a unified message from the UNGA Session, "We are determined not to be left behind. By coming together, sharing experiences, pooling resources, and strengthening our resolve, we can change the world for the better".
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