NEW DELHI: After India expressed the view that the UN mission in Kashmir had outlived its use the visiting UN peacekeeping chief Hervé Ladsous has made it clear that the mission would remain in there until the UN Security Council removes its mandate, established in 1948 after the first war over Kashmir. Only the Security Council can undo that decision, look at the mandate again and decide what to do, Mr. Ladsous said.
Indian contention is since “violations of LoC by Pakistan continued with impunity, it did not appreciate the purpose of extending free accommodation to the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in an expensive and posh area in the heart of New Delhi indefinitely, asking it to find an alternative place to move to at its own expense.
Speaking to The Hindus Suhasini Haidar, UN Undersecretary-General Mr. Ladsous said the troops of UNMOGIP, who have been stationed in Jammu and Kashmir for the past 65 years, are carrying out an important role.
I think their very presence on that Line, to a certain degree, contributes to confidence. So one should never lose that from your sight, he said. India had argued that the Simla agreement with Pakistan in 1972 had led to drawing up the Line of Control between two nations, which made the ceasefire line drawn as a result of the Karachi agreement way back in 1949 redundant. It had extended that logic to imply that the UNMOGIPs mission in India had likewise become redundant especially given that India has not lodged any reports or complaints since 1971. However, Mr. Ladsous said he had seen the statement put out by the Indian government, and agreed that it was the governments prerogative to explain their views, but the mandate of UNMOGIP he insisted was established by the UN Security Council 60 odd years ago, and only the Security Council can undo that decision. Look at the mandate again and decide. So it isnt my decision, and I cant comment further, he said.
The UN official admitted that the Indian governments directive asking the UNMOGIP to vacate its official bungalow in New Delhi came up during his day-long discussions with officials of the Ministries of Defence, Home and External Affairs, but they had not given any drastic ultimatum. He confirmed that the UNMOGIP had already found alternate offices in Delhi and would be moving shortly.
Mr. Ladsous said he also discussed Indias concerns over the peacekeeping operations its troops are fighting in. After Bangladesh, India is the largest contributor of soldiers and police personnel to the UN peacekeeping forces. According to officials, those troops are being increasingly pushed into conflicts of active or robust fighting, rather than monitoring peace.
In December 2013, five Indian soldiers were killed fighting rebels in South Sudan. The UN Undersecretary-General said he found such situations unacceptable, and also criticised the global north (US and Europe) for not contributing enough to the forces. Ninety-five per cent of the peacekeepers are from the (global) South, Mr. Ladsous explained, And the North (Europe, U.S. among others) only contributes five per cent to the UNPKF. That is not sustainable and I have been telling NATO, EU countries, when you pull out of Afghanistan this year, you must come back in a more significant way to the UNPKF.
Mr. Ladsous who is going to Bangladesh and Nepal apart from India, explained that the purpose of his visit is to speak to several countries who are amongst the biggest contributors to the UN Peacekeeping mission. In this year, Bangladesh is first, India next, and Nepal is fifth when it comes to contributions, so that makes them crucial to our operations, he said.
Peacekeeping is a partnership, Mr. Ladsous said. I am glad that the commitment of these countries is solid, and we have about 120,000 peacekeepers this year. But he also agreed that the UNPKF has become a symbol of global inequality… that poor countries bleed, while richer countries only pay.
I was shocked by the inequality, but I think it is changing. Money is one thing, blood is another. It is not a good distinction to have. Smaller countries also pay, and its not fair, the top UN official admitted
Peacekeeping, he said, is an act of generosity, and living up to the charter of the UN. The US and European countries make the point that they do contribute troops outside of the UN, for e.g. Afghanistans ISAF, and Mali, and the hope I have is that they will now look to contribute those troops to the UNPKF now.
On the question of the practicality of keeping the UNMOGIP troops at the Line of Control without them serving any purpose, Mr. Ladsous maintained that Its purpose is simply to observe what is happening and to report that, and that India should approach the Security Council over this issue, If they so feel.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
