India plays down UN group’s observation
India said that Pakistan made no gains in its efforts to garner support against India at the United Nations. It again questioned the role of the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) as well.
India’s permanent representative to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin, dismissed remarks made by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric that the UNMOGIP “has not directly observed any firing across the LoC related to the latest incidents”, a reference to the surgical strikes conducted by India on September 29.
“I have nothing to say because what (Dujarric) said was ‘directly observed’. It’s a call that they have to take. I cannot place myself in their boots and directly observe something,” Akbaruddin said when asked to comment on Dujarric’s remarks.
Akbaruddin said that the “facts on the ground do not change whether somebody acknowledges them or not. Facts are facts, we presented the facts and that’s where we stand”.
India said it carried out the strikes on seven terror launch pads along the LoC with the army inflicting “significant casualties” on terrorists preparing to infiltrate from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
When pressed to explain how the UNMOGIP can say it did not observe any firing even as India said it conducted the strikes, Dujarric repeated that the group has not “directly observed any of the firing”.
Akbaruddin said that while Pakistan has reached out to the UN chief and the 15-nation council over the issues of the strikes and Kashmir, its call for intervention by the world body has not found any resonance as there was no further discussion on the matter.
“Yesterday there was some action. You are aware of the reaction,” Akbaruddin said, referring to Pakistan envoy Maleeha Lodhi meeting New Zealand’s UN Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen, president of the council for September, and raising the issue of the strikes in the UNSC.
NEW DELHI: