Jaishankar hits back at Pakistan in U.N. General Assembly address

“Today, we see the ills (Pakistan) sought to visit on others consume its own society. It can’t blame the world. This is only karma,” the External Affairs Minister said.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar used his address at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) debate on Saturday (September 28, 2024) to hit back at Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s speech a day earlier. The two countries engaged in rounds of tit-for-tat remarks over Friday (September 27, 2024) and Saturday (September 28, 2024).

Referring to the UNGA theme this year, ‘Leaving no one behind’, Mr. Jaishankar said, “Many countries get left behind due to circumstances beyond their control, but some make conscious choices with disastrous consequences,“ as he named Pakistan.

Suggesting that Pakistan could measure its GDP in terms of radicalisation and exports in terms of terror, he said, “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.”

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The Minister referred to Pakistan’s assertions on Friday as “bizarre” and said terrorism would have consequences. Pakistan had asserted in its Right of Reply that Jammu and Kashmir was a disputed territory and not an internal matter to India, among other things.

“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 long-standing attachment to terrorism,” Mr. Jaishankar said on Saturday.

Mr. Jaishankar said the sanctioning of terrorists at the United Nations cannot be impeded for political reasons, a reference to China which has historically placed holds on those accused of committing acts of terror against India.

The Minister’s speech also included references that presumably included China. He called out unfair economic practices and infrastructure projects that adversely impact sovereignty.

“Unfair trade practices threaten jobs, just as unviable projects raise debt levels,” he said.

“Any connectivity that clouds sovereignty and territorial integrity acquires strategic connotations, especially when it is not a shared endeavour,” he added. India has objected to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the highlight of China’s larger Belt and Road Initiative connectivity project, which goes through Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

On the conflict in Ukraine and Gaza, he said the world could not be “fatalistic about the continuation of violence” and must seek urgent solutions.

Mr. Jaishankar called for the reform of multilateralism.

“Countries have extracted more from the international system than they have put into it,” he said, saying peace and prosperity were in jeopardy because trust had eroded and processes had come apart.

He described the major challenges of the day as arising from a “combination of structural shortcomings, political calculations, naked self interest” and a “disregard for those left behind”.

He suggested India was responding to global challenges in various ways, highlighting aspects of India’s development.

“A digital public infrastructure and a people’s pharmacy are today examples of what India can readily offer to the world,” he said.

Mr. Jaishankar is travelling to Washington DC for meetings early next week before concluding his U.S. visit.

Published - September 29, 2024 12:19 am IST