External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar targeted China and its all-weather ally Pakistan during the speech at the UNGA.
Speaking at the General Debate of the 78th session of UNGA in New York, the EAM said respect for territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs cannot be exercises in “cherry-picking”.
“Nor must be countenance that political convenience determines responses to terrorism, extremism and violence. Similarly, respect for territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs cannot be exercises in cherry-picking when reality departs from rhetoric, we must have the courage to call it out,” he said.
Interim Pakistan Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar earlier raked Jammu and Kashmir in his speech at the UN General Assembly. India told Pakistan to shut down terror infrastructure in the country and reminded Pakistan’s government of its own abysmal record of minority rights violations
Indian and Chinese troops remained in a standoff at specific friction points in eastern Ladakh since May 2020 when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the Galwan Valley clash. As many as 19 Corps Commander-level talks have been held between the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) but they have remained inconclusive.
Slamming the West, the EAM said the days of a few nations setting the agenda and expecting others to fall in line are over.
“At a time when East-West polarisation is so sharp and the North-South divide is so deep, the New Delhi summit also affirmed that diplomacy and dialogue are the only effective solutions,” he said.
Jaishankar said India has evolved from era of non-alignment to a ‘Vishwa Mitra’ (a friend). “This is an occasion to take stock of our achievements and our challenges even while sharing our aspirations and goals. Indeed, in regards to both, there is much that India has to share,” he said.
“Our vision– One Earth, One Family, One Future sought to focus on the key concerns of the many, not just the narrow interest of a few. In the words of PM Modi, it was to bridge divide, dismantle barriers, and sow seeds of collaboration that nourish the world, the unity prevails over discord and where shared destiny eclipses isolation. New Delhi G20 declaration articulates our ability to do so,” he added.