UNSC condemns Pulwama terror attack

NEW DELHI: The UN Security Council finally came around to condemning the Pulwama terror attack a week after the incident, after China failed to block several aspects of a unanimous condemnation.

In a late night statement on Thursday, the members “condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly suicide bombing in Jammu & Kashmir”. The statement named the terror group, Jaish-e-Mohammed, which had claimed responsibility for the attack.

The naming of the group is significant because it implies that China signed off on the press statement despite the mention of the group. China has shielded Masood Azhar from UN sanctions for the past few years. Initially, China refused to allow the name of the group saying there was no proof they did it. They only agreed after Jaish-e-Mohammed’s own admission was put on the table.

However, it’s too early to say that China may have moved its position. On Friday, questioned on the significance of a Chinese assent to the statement, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang was quoted as saying, "Yesterday, the UN Security Council issued a press statement that mentioned a particular organisation but only in general terms. It does not represent a judgment on the attack.”

China held up the statement for the past few days because they objected to saying Jammu & Kashmir, instead wanted it to say “Indian administered Kashmir.” It took concerted efforts led by the US, followed by France and UK to bring the Chinese around. Ultimately, the statement called for two important things — “justice” for perpetrators, financiers and sponsors of terrorism, and, called on all countries to cooperate with India and other “relevant” authorities.

Asserting that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security,” the UNSC “underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsored of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice, and urged all states in according with their obligations under international law and relevant security council resolutions to cooperate actively with Government of India and all other relevant authorities.”

Sources said this is the first time the UNSC has condemned a terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir, either against security forces or civilians.

The Indian effort was to place the Pulwama terror attack in the context of global terrorism, refusing to allow the space for China or Pakistan to quibble with terms like “disputed territory”, or “freedom fighters” etc. To that extent, the statement breaks new ground in many different ways.