On 1st August, India took over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council and is responsible for the position for the month of August. India has said that it will focus on three areas in this role – maritime security, the peace process and the fight against terrorism.
At a time when US troops are withdrawing from Afghanistan and the Taliban is getting stronger, and the 5th of August marking two years of the abolishment of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, India taking over the presidency of the Security Council appears to worry Pakistan.
Both matters are very important for the government of Pakistan. Even though China, one of the five permanent members of the UNSC, has always been an ally to Pakistan, India will have an important role to play in any meeting of the Security Council in August.
Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry told Pakistani media on Saturday, “I hope that India will act impartially under the one-month presidency of the United Nations Security Council. “We expect that India will play its role as per the rules,” he said.
Pakistani newspaper Dawn has written that India having the presidency (of the Security Council) means that Pakistan will not be able to convene a meeting about Kashmir in the Security Council.
In the last two years, the issue of Jammu and Kashmir has been discussed thrice in the United Nations Security Council.
If anything significant happens concerning Afghanistan, then India’s presidency at the UNSC will matter. Pakistan has been seeing India as a hindrance in Afghanistan. India has also talked about giving priority to the fight against terrorism in its agenda.
Last month, on July 27, TS Tirumurti, the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, had targeted Pakistan without naming Pakistan in the Times of India.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted on the occasion and said, “As we take over the UNSC Presidency for August, look forward to working productively with other members.
India will always be a voice of moderation, an advocate of dialogue and a proponent of international law.”
The presidency of the United Nations Security Council changes every month and is in alphabetical order in English. Under this, India’s turn has come after France.
India is currently a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for two years. India became a non-permanent member of the Security Council on January 1, 2021. India’s membership will end on December 31, 2022, and during this entire term, India will have the presidency of the UNSC twice.
The country’s last term as non-permanent UNSC member was in 2011-12, which was preceded by stints in 1991-92, 1984-85, 1977-78, 1972-73, 1967-68, and 1950-51.