UN Security Council snub to Pakistan on J&K: Triumph of India’s narrative and diplomacy

In a resounding diplomatic victory for India, the United Nations Security Council has decisively rebuffed Pakistan’s attempts to internationalize the Jammu and Kashmir reorganisation by New Delhi by ending its informal discussions on the issue without a statement.

Pakistan had launched a massive disinformation campaign by misrepresenting the recent steps taken by the Indian government to revoke special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and bifurcate J&K into two Union Territories. But Islamabad’s motivated campaign, fuelled by long-standing prejudice against India, didn’t cut ice with diplomats from members of the UN Security Council, except for its all-weather supporter China.

At an informal closed-door meeting in New York on August 16, diplomats from 15 members of the UN Security Council held informal consultations on Jammu and Kashmir for nearly an hour, but despite China’s special pleading on behalf of Pakistan, the meeting ended without any critique of India’s recent initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir. In a diplomatic win for India, the UNSC meeting rejected Pakistan’s request for an emergency on-the-record discussion on Jammu and Kashmir, and acknowledged steps taken by the Indian government to restore normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the end, India’s narrative has prevailed as there was a wider international recognition that the recent steps in Jammu and Kashmir were entirely an internal affair of the country, as argued passionately by India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin. In face of Pakistan’s diplomatic onslaught, India had argued that the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir was taken with the sole objective of spurring socio-economic transformation of the state. This argument, along with the steps announced by the Jammu and Kashmir administration to ease restrictions, found traction with the international community, and seemed to have led the council to decide that even an informal statement on Jammu and Kashmir developments was not required.

The rebuff by the UNSC has once again underlined Pakistan’s growing international isolation. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was uncannily prescient when a few days ago he told Pakistanis not to live in a “fool’s paradise” by expecting United Nations Security Council to “wait with garlands” to support Islamabad’s contentions regarding India’s decision to abrogate Kashmir’s special status. In an irony, the UNSC meeting on August 16 has proved Mr Qureshi right as Pakistan did not find support from any country in the UNSC except for its all-weather benefactor China.

“Giving vent to emotions is easy and raising objections is much easier. However it is difficult to understand the issue and move forward. They are not waiting for you with garlands in their hands. Any members out of the P-5 nations can be a hurdle… Do not live in the fool paradise,” said Mr Qureshi during a press conference days before the UNSC vote.

Author Profile

Manish Chand

Manish Chand is Founder-CEO and Editor-in-Chief of India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) and India and World, a pioneering magazine focused on international affairs. He is CEO/Director of TGII Media Private Limited, an India-based media, publishing, research and consultancy company.