United Nations: Just as Pakistan assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council on Tuesday through the routine alphabetical rotation, India has exposed Islamabad’s complicity in cross-border terrorism, highlighting the recent Pahalgam massacre carried out by Pak-backed terrorists.
The move comes amid global concern over rising instability and as India launched Operation Sindoor in direct response to the attack.
A day before Pakistan became president, India pre-emptively drew attention to its role as a sponsor of international terrorism by sponsoring an exhibition, ‘The Human Cost of Terrorism’, right at the entrance used by diplomats to enter the UN building.
Coming in, they will see Pakistan-involved terrorism not only in India but also elsewhere in the world, like 9/11 in the US, where it protected Osama bin Laden, who was the force behind it.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the display was to call out those behind the havoc that terrorism wreaked on the world and demand a global stand against terrorists.
At the Council, Pakistan has worked in tandem with its “all-weather friend” China, with Russia joining in on many issues.
In its role as president, Pakistan will be constrained, however, by the rules of procedure and diplomatic traditions when it comes to allowing members to speak and introduce resolutions or convening meetings at the request of UN members.
The month’s agenda, known as the programme of work, is adopted by consensus on the first day of the Council’s meeting, and there have been instances, like in 2023, when Russia blocked it during the US and Albanian presidencies, making the Council work with ad hoc agendas.
As president, Islamabad can convene what are known as high-level signature events and open debates on topics of its choosing.
Its Permanent Representative, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, will preside over most of the meetings, but its Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, who also holds the foreign affairs portfolio, or other leaders are likely to attend those events.
While Pakistan may nominate US President Donald Trump for a Nobel Prize, it is solidly with Russia and China on substantive issues like Iran and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
At the Council’s emergency session on Iran last month, Pakistan called for condemning the attacks by the US and Israel.
With China and Russia, Pakistan introduced a draft resolution condemning the bombings by the US and Israel, although it was upstaged by the ceasefire and, in any case, would have faced a US veto.
On the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, Pakistan is solidly with the Palestinians.
That’s an issue where, in speeches at the UN, Pakistan tries to create a link between Palestine and Kashmir, but with no success in drawing others to its cause.
Pakistan, which was elected last year as a non-permanent member representing the Asia Pacific region, joined the Council in January.
(IANS)
