The Hindu : India keeps Pak. out of key panels

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 11, 2003

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India keeps Pak. out of key panels

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI JAN. 10. Indian diplomacy has been successful in ensuring that Pakistan does not chair the U.N. Security Council's committee on peacekeeping and vice-chair the panel on counter-terrorism to implement Council Resolution 1373.

While Indian concerns about the "nuisance potential" of Pakistan after it became a non-permanent member of the Security Council on January 1 remain, there is a quiet sense of satisfaction that Pakistan has not been able to get on to these key committees.

According to sources, Islamabad was keen on getting on to both committees since it could bring to bear some influence on important issues such as peacekeeping and counter-terrorism. Pakistan, however, will be vice-chair of the U.N. Security Council's sanctions committee on Iraq (being headed by Germany) and head of yet another panel on Liberia.

Given India's large contribution to U.N. peacekeeping operations, India was keen on keeping Islamabad out of this panel. And, since the counter-terrorism committee reviews country reports on national anti-terrorism measures under Resolution 1371, India had a strategic interest in ensuring that Islamabad did not get on board as vice-chair. Also, in India's view, if Pakistan held a high-profile in the counter-terrorism panel, it could go around pretending to be a champion of the anti-terrorist cause.

Indian diplomats have successfully put across the view that Pakistan could use its Security Council seat to take potshots at India and getting on to these committees could be part of the problem. Interestingly, Pakistan getting on to the Iraq panel as vice-chair could create more problems as militant Islamist forces will call into account what Islamabad does or does not do as far as lifting sanctions against Iraq is concerned. Asked if Pakistan could raise, theoretically, the issue of Indian "atrocities" in Jammu and Kashmir at the Security Council, the sources provided a nuanced response.

Given the fact that the Security Council is principally a P-5 show, advance consultations with key nations such as the United States, France or Russia, take place before a matter is taken up by the Council. However, any Security Council member can raise any issue at any time, but might not get "results" from such a move.

India has put across its view to several countries such as the United Kingdom, U.S., Russia, France, and Mexico, Germany, Spain and Angola (in the non-permanent category) that any moves to raise the Kashmir dispute could only complicate a difficult situation.

Diplomats have told these countries that the Kashmir issue was out of the U.N. ambit given the fact that the determining factors of the India-Pakistan bilateral relationship were the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration.

India's interlocutors have understood that playing political football with a sensitive issue like Kashmir could complicate matters and shown little enthusiasm or support for Pakistan taking a high-profile role in the Security Council. However, the sources stressed that Indian diplomats at the U.N. needed to be "alert" and keep on explaining New Delhi's position on the issue to key nations in the Security Council. And, if Pakistan still insisted on raising the Kashmir dispute in some form or the other, it needed to be understood that this was not a "calamity" from the point of view of Indian diplomacy.

Such an effort by Islamabad was unlikely to make much headway. However, this could be a good way to needle India and tell folks back home in Pakistan that Islamabad was pursuing a proactive diplomatic policy vis-a-vis New Delhi.

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