UN must be central platform for finding common ground: Jaishankar

The United Nations (UN) must be the central platform for finding common ground, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said at the UN over the weekend.

“And that it certainly cannot be by remaining anachronistic,” Jaishankar said in remarks at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Saturday, while urging reforms at the international organization.

The comments by Jaishankar, who was speaking on the UNGA’s theme of “Leaving no one behind”, come amid the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

“Leaving no one behind means advancing peace, ensuring sustainable development and strengthening human dignity. This cannot be delivered by a UN paralyzed when faced with division, conflict, terrorism and violence. Nor can it be advanced if access to food, fuel and fertilizer is jeopardized,” he said.

“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 added.

Jaishankar’s jibe at Pakistan

Jaishankar also took a jibe at Pakistan over its support of terrorism, saying that it is Islamabad’s ‘conscious choice’ of being left behind in the global order due to its Karma.

Commenting on the “enfeebling” state of Pakistan’s economy, he said, “When this (Pakistan’s) polity instils such fanaticism among its people, its GDP can only be measured in terms of radicalization and its exports in the form of terrorism.”

“Today, the ills it sought to visit on others consume its society. It can’t blame the world; this is only karma,” he said.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during his speech at the UNGA on Friday, had compared the situation in Jammu and Kashmir to that of Palestine and said that the people had “struggled for a century for their freedom and right to self-determination.”

Responding to Sharif’s comments, Jaishankar said, “We heard some bizarre assertions from it (Pakistan) at this forum yesterday. So let me make India’s position perfectly clear.”

Announcing that Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism policy will never succeed. Jaishankar said, “And it (Pakistan) can have no expectation of impunity, on the contrary, actions will certainly have consequences.”

Many countries get left behind due to circumstances beyond their control. However, some governments make conscious choices to lead their countries in the wrong direction. Referring to Pakistan, he added, “Some make conscious choices with disastrous consequences.”

Meanwhile, while during a poll rally in Jammu and Kashmir over the weekend, defense minister Rajnath Singh said India would have given larger bailout package to Pakistan than it sought from the International Monetary fund (IMF), had Islamabad maintained friendly relations with New Delhi.

“Modi in 2014-15 announced a special package for development of Jammu and Kashmir that has reached ₹90,000 crore. The amount is much bigger than what Pakistan was seeking from IMF (as bailout package),” the Press trust of India reported quoting Singh.