UN’s First Condemnation Over J&K: How India Managed A Diplomatic Feat Against Terror, Bringing China And US On Board

The statement of condemnation issued by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday (21 February 2019) on the Pulwama attack came as a result of extraordinary diplomatic efforts put in by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials, with particular help from the US to convince UN members, reports The Indian Express.

The decision to begin the diplomatic exertion was taken on 15 February, a day after the attack on the CRPF convoy in Pulwama in which more than 40 soldiers were martyred. Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and Secretaries of the MEA began to conduct meetings with Ambassadors of a number important countries, including those from the G-20, ASEAN, the EU, among others.

These officials rang up phones in many world capitals. One of the most convincing arguments used was that the Pulwama attack met the FBI’s definition of terrorism: “the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”

China was particularly difficult to sway, considering its close relations with Pakistan. But finally, with a great degree of lobbying by US and French diplomats, Beijing relented and agreed to include the name of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) as part of the statement.

China’s naming of the JeM is significant because, for the last 10 years, China has been blocking the listing of the terror outfit’s chief Masood Azhar as a ‘Global Terrorist’ at the UNSC.