- Thursday, February 27, 2025
Respect for territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs cannot be exercises in cherry-picking, the Indian diplomat asserted.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar made a strong address at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday (26) saying that “political convenience” cannot be the basis for a response to terrorism.
He also called on nations not to interfere in others’ internal affairs.
The diplomat’s words come at a time when India and Canada have locked horns over a diplomatic row after Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau alleged New Delhi’s role in the killing of a Khalistan extremist leader in Canada in June. India strongly reacted to the Canadian leader’s allegations, calling them absurd and motivated and even suspended issuing visas to Canadian citizens.
Apart from Canada, Jaishankar’s words were also thought to be directed at Pakistan, the western neighbour which India has accused of cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir for a long time now. In the case of Canada, too, the Indian side has alleged that the government in Ottawa doesn’t take a strong stand against anti-India activities on Canadian soil due to political reasons.
“… nor must we countenance that political convenience determines responses to terrorism, extremism and violence. Similarly, respect for territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs cannot be exercises in cherry-picking. When reality departs from the rhetoric, we must have the courage to call it out… without genuine solidarity, there can never be real trust,” Jaishankar, who greeted the UNGA with folded hands saying “Namaste from Bharat”, remarked.
India hit back at Pakistan last week after its interim prime minister raked up the Kashmir issue at the world forum, asking Islamabad to stop terrorism and vacate the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Jaishankar also made a strong pitch for a permanent seat for India on the UN Security Council, the body’s highest decision-making body that includes China, a country with which India doesn’t share a smooth relationship.
Speaking on India’s role in amplifying the voices of the Global South at the G20 summit held in New Delhi earlier this month and the inclusion of African Union in the grouping, the Indian foreign minister said the “significant step” should be an inspiration for the UN to make the Security Council “contemporary”.
He also said the days when a few nations set the agenda and expected others to fall in line are over.
