New Delhi: India on Friday lashed out at Pakistan during the virtual ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, which is a member nation, for raising the issue of Kashmir at the forum.
It gave a tough message to Pakistan on the issue of 'territorial integrity'.
Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan delivered the statement during the NAM ministerial meeting where he said, "Individual members must stop and think before raising issues that are not on the agenda and which find no resonance in the wider membership. NAM never was and never can be a platform for pursuits aimed at undermining the territorial integrity of a State by another State."
Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi raked up the issue of Kashmir while delivery his country statement.
India further reminded the forum that NAM had the potential to take the lead in addressing the primary issues of our times that demand global cooperation.
"When we stand together and speak in one voice, for instance in our Movement’s steadfast commitment to the cause of Palestine, we can and do have a decisive influence on global outcomes - we can be a force for good", Muraleedharan added.
Without naming Pakistan, the minister said that it had become a dividing force. He said, "If we take up issues that divide rather than unite us, reducing our Movement to a platform for venting bilateral grievances or for embarrassing fellow Members, we will soon become a weak and irrelevant entity, with no say at all in global decision making."
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Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message to the Movement when he participated in the Online Summit of the NAM Contact Group in response to COVID-19 held in May this year, Muraleedharan said, "He emphasized the importance of a coordinated, inclusive and equitable response by the world to this crisis, reaffirming India’s readiness to offer assistance in solidarity with the Movement.
"Just a few days ago, at the General Debate of the 75th UNGA, he assured the world that India’s immense vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all humanity in fighting the crisis."
"This is a manifestation of the approach that will guide India as it takes up its responsibilities of non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council in 2021-22, and Presidency of the G20 in 2022: deploying our rich developmental experience for the peace and welfare of humanity, treating the world as one family," he said.
The minister also raised the issue of terrorism and misinformation and fake news are wreaking havoc on collective security.
"Terrorism and their enablers continue to spread their tentacles unabated. Misinformation and fake news are wreaking havoc on social cohesion and collective security. Climate change has become an existential threat, especially to the most vulnerable SIDS countries. Humanitarian emergencies are straining capacities", he reiterated.
"Cybersecurity threats and the uneven impact of frontier technologies are causing turbulence. Development concerns remain paramount for the vast majority of the world’s population," he asserted.
Muraleedharan underlined that there is a need to work to reduce the socio-economic impact of this pandemic on the most vulnerable sections of our society. NAM’s unique tradition of promoting South-South cooperation can provide a way out as societies look to rebuild and regenerate in the wake of this crisis.
Saying that the 65th anniversary of the adoption of the NAM founding principles is a good time to reflect, MoS MEA said, "Even as we call for effective and reformed multilateralism, we need to introspect, reform and revitalise the current arrangements of our movement, to enable us to pursue a focused, positive and transformative agenda going forward."
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