‘Hosts Osama bin Laden, attacks Parliament…’, India hits back at Pakistan for raising Kashmir issue in UN

After Pakistan raised the Kashmir issue in the UN Security Council on Wednesday, India fiercely defended it, stating that a country that hosted Osama bin Laden and attacked a neighboring parliament does not possess the credentials to “sermonize” in a power organ.

The credibility of the UN depends on how it responds to the key challenges of our time, including pandemics, climate change, conflicts, and terrorism.

There is no doubt that multilateralism needs to be reformatted urgently today. Jaishankar, who is chairing India’s signature event on reformed multilateralism, said: “Whilst we will naturally have our own opinions, there is a growing convergence that this cannot be delayed any further.”

It is imperative that we never normalise such threats while searching for the best solutions. There should be no need to justify things that are considered unacceptable by the world. This is definitely true when it comes to state sponsorship of cross-border terrorism. As a result, hosting Osama bin Laden or attacking a neighbouring parliament cannot be used as credentials for sermonizing before the Council,” he said.

As part of India’s current UN Presidency, Jaishankar will preside over two signature events on counterterrorism and multilateralism, which end this month, as the country’s two-year term as a member of the powerful 15-nation UN Security Council comes to a close.

During the discussion on reforming multilateralism at the Council, Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto brought up the Kashmir issue.

Chaired the open debate in the Security Council on New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism.

Underlined the three challenges inherent in the IGN process:

1. It is the only one in the United Nations that is conducted without any time frame. pic.twitter.com/HtA7eoex8c

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) December 14, 2022

India’s External Affairs Minister presided over Wednesday’s UN Security Council’s Open Debate on ‘Maintenance of International Peace and Security: New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism’, a signature event under the Council’s 15-nation Presidency.

There were over 60 speakers listed for the debate, including Bhutto, who raised the Kashmir issue in his remarks. When Bhutto spoke in the Council, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, was chairing the debate.

Jaishankar later addressed Bhutto’s comments during the debate.

Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks in the United States, was killed by US navy seals in May 2011 in a raid at his hideout in Abbottabad.

External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar chaired and addressed the #UNSC Open Debate on New orientation for reformed multilateralism.

📚 Read the Full statement here: https://t.co/xXnYZCbery
📺 Watch the speech: https://t.co/yIvKKhfD81#IndiaInUNSC pic.twitter.com/wzf9OYFP9k

— Ruchira Kamboj (@ruchirakamboj) December 14, 2022

Nine people had been killed in a terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament complex in New Delhi eighteen years ago when Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) were involved.

As of August 5, 2019, tensions between India and Pakistan have spiked since New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 of the Constitution. An Indian diplomatic envoy was expelled from Pakistan after India’s decision evoked strong reactions.

The Indian government has categorically denied that it has any plans to scrap Article 370. Furthermore, it recommended that Pakistan accept the reality of the situation and cease all anti-Indian propaganda.

According to India, Islamabad and India wish to have normal neighbourly relations without terror, hostility, or violence.