Pakistan calls for strengthening UN observers mission in Kashmir

NEW YORK — Pakistan has called for expanding the United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which monitors the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, to enable the mission deal with the rising tensions in the disputed region.

“This (UNMOGIP) needs to be expanded to respond to existing threats and realities,” Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the UN Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations on Monday.

UNMOGIP, she emphasised, was a “critical factor for stability” in the region. The special committee brings together all stakeholders of peacekeeping — the UN’s flagship activity — troop and police contributors, financial contributors, Security Council members and the UN Secretariat.

As the committee opened its 2018 substantive session, Ambassador Lodhi said that Security Council mandates based on political expediency complicated the situation on the ground vis-avis the security of United Nations peacekeepers.

Peacekeeping fundamentals must be preserved even when adapting to changing realities, she said, adding that blurring the line between peacekeeping and peace enforcement would impact on the impartiality of the Blue Helmets.

While underscoring the need for political solutions, the ambassador said there could be no lasting peace without addressing the root causes of conflicts.

“Peacekeeping needs to be strengthened through support for political solutions and mediation processes,” she said.