New Delhi, July 8 . India abstained from voting at the UN on a Resolution on Afghanistan saying a “business as usual” approach without new and targeted initiatives is unlikely to deliver the outcomes the international community envisions for Afghan people.
The UNGA resolution on the ‘Situation in Afghanistan’ last night was moved by Germany.” The vote was 116 in favour and two against. Twelve countries including India, Russia, China and Iran abstained.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador P Harish, said in his speech that any coherent policy to address a post-conflict situation must combine a mix of policy instruments — incentivising positive behaviour and disincentivising harmful actions.
“An approach focused only on punitive measures is unlikely to succeed,’’ Ambassador Harish cautioned. He said the United Nations and the broader international community had adopted more balanced and nuanced approaches in other post-conflict contexts. However, no new policy instruments had been introduced to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan since August 2021.
“A business-as-usual approach, without new and targeted initiatives, is unlikely to deliver the outcomes the international community envisions for the Afghan people,’’ he said.
The international community must direct its coordinated efforts towards ensuring that entities and individuals designated by the UN Security Council, Al Qaeda and their affiliates, ISIL and their affiliates, including Lashkar-i-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, along with their regional sponsors who facilitate their operations, no longer exploit the Afghan territory for terrorist activities.
India is closely monitoring the security situation in Afghanistan, he asserted.
Welcoming Afghanistan’s strong condemnation of the terrorist killings at Pahalgam in Kashmir on April 22, he said External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar had recently spoken with the Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan. The conversation followed a meeting between India’s Foreign Secretary and the Acting Foreign Minister where both sides discussed various bilateral issues and regional developments.
Ambassador Harish said India’s approach to Afghanistan, as its contiguous neighbour with deep historical and cultural ties, has always been guided by longstanding friendship and special relationship with the Afghan people. As a long-standing partner, India has direct stakes in ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan.
He said that since the UNGA last considered this issue in November 2022, India has been actively engaging with regional and international stakeholders to promote peace, stability and development in Afghanistan.
“We believe that international and regional consensus and cooperation on key issues concerning Afghanistan are essential. Our participation in UN meetings in Doha and other regional forums reflects our ongoing efforts, including our recent participation in the meetings held in Doha last week,’’ he said.
The Ambassador said India’s immediate priorities in Afghanistan include the provision of humanitarian assistance and the implementation of capacity-building initiatives for the Afghan people.
India has been working closely with UN agencies to support the Afghan people in critical areas such as health, food security, education and sports. Also, India’s commitment to Afghanistan’s reconstruction is demonstrated through more than 500 development partnership projects across all provinces.
Since August 2021, India has supplied around 50,000 MTs of wheat, over 330 MTs of medicines and vaccines, 40,000 litres of the pesticide Malathion, and 58.6 MTs of other essential items, supporting millions of Afghans in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
In partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), India provided 84 MTs of assistance and medicines and 32 MTs of social support items for drug rehabilitation programmes in Afghanistan, particularly those focused on women.
India also continues to offer scholarships and fellowships to Afghan students. Since 2023, we have provided scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate courses to 2,000 Afghan students, including nearly 600 girls and women.
Reiterating India’s historic ties with the people of Afghanistan and enduring commitment to meeting their humanitarian and developmental needs, Mr Harish said India remains committed to continued engagement with all relevant stakeholders and broadly supports the international community’s efforts towards a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan.
. RB PRS
