Pakistan appraises UN of Indian disregard for regional peace

Foreign Secretary Mahmood, UN ASG Khairi agree on aiding Afghanistan reconstruction efforts

ISLAMABAD:

Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood met United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and Pacific Ambassador Khaled Khairi on Thursday and briefed him about India’s disregard for aviation safety as well as regional peace and stability with reference to the missile fiasco.

Earlier this month, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Babar Iftikhar had revealed that an unarmed “high-speed flying object” was fired into Pakistan on Mach 9, from India’s Sirsa area, landing in Mian Channu, Punjab. The military’s spokesperson revealed that violating Pakistani airspace, the object caused damage to civilian property, but no loss of life was reported.

A day later, India admitted the “accidental firing” of a missile due to technical malfunction during routine maintenance. In an official statement, the Indian Defence Ministry said that they had taken “serious view” of the incident and ordered a “high-level Court of Enquiry”.

While the United States also found “no indication” of the incident being anything other than an “accident”, Pakistan, citing the missile’s potential for a major disaster urged the relevant international forums to take notice of the fiasco.

On Thursday, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mahmood sought international community’s attention towards India’s “irresponsible conduct”.

On the other hand, the foreign secretary emphasised, Pakistan continued to act with restraint and responsibility.

He highlighted that Pakistan had written to senior UN officials, including the secretary-general, seeking a joint session of the global body to establish the facts surrounding the incident.

The foreign secretary also highlighted rights violations in occupied Kashmir, and expressed Pakistan’s desire for a just settlement of the longstanding dispute in line with the resolutions of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

Both sides also exchanged views on matters concerning Afghanistan, and agreed on the need for provision of humanitarian and emergency assistance to the Afghan people, besides aiding in the war-torn country’s reconstruction through UN’s assistance. The foreign secretary lauded UN’s contributions in this regard.

Read: Top UN envoy briefed on Indian missile fiasco

Pakistan also voiced concern over the implications of the situation in Ukraine, discussing the adverse economic impact of the crisis on developing countries. Mahmood reiterated Pakistan’s call for cessation of hostilities and resolving the matter through dialogue and diplomacy.

During the meeting, the official lauded Pakistan’s contributions to UN peacekeeping over the years, pointing out that it has been one of the largest troop contributors.

ASG Khairi is in Pakistan as the the representative of UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the 48th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers, which was held in Islamabad on March 22-23, coinciding with the 75th anniversary celebrations of Pakistan’s Independence.