India’s Minister for External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj made an impactful presence at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly. The less than 20-minute speech this weekend saw a presentation of the Indian government’s social welfare and humanitarian schemes, an emphasis on environment protection, a frontal offensive against Pakistan for its ‘blatant’ support to terrorism and a plea for reforms for the world’s premier umbrella organisation. In sum, India could be seen to have made a major impact on the world stage. Yet, an inescapable feeling is, why harp so much on Pakistan, not an equal to India by any yardstick.
Swaraj’s specific mention of Pakistan’s support to terrorism, the protection it gives to 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, and her rhetoric that Pakistan provided sanctuary to help Osama bin Laden escape Americas’ long arm, are by now clichéd. Yet, there was a need to put Pakistan in a spot at the UN meet for the reason that Pakistan has a habit of attacking India at every UN fora. Pakistan might be doing so out of its weak positioning vis-à-vis India. But, a strong India need not be wary of Pakistan or its designs.
India would do well to rise about such tactics and present itself in the form of a future world leader by speaking from a position of strength. India could, as Swaraj rightly delved into, take up the need for UN reforms in a more forceful manner, propose ways to make the UN more robust and able to uplift the suffering millions from poverty and want, and seek to reshape the world body in more acceptable and pragmatic format. Swaraj’s proposal to turn the world body into the form a global family along the lines of the celebrated Indian ethos of Vasudhaiva Kudumbakam has a familiar strain.
The precious time at the General Assembly year after year, for all and for India specifically, need not be wasted on Pakistan because this Islamic nation does not deserve as much attention – that too from the Indian side. Outside of the General Assembly, the world is fully familiar with the support Pakistan extends to terrorism. Rather, India’s obsession with Pakistan at such fora could be interpreted to mean a weakness on the part of this country and an inability on our part to effectively neutralise the wayward and aggressive neighbour armed as it is with Chinese help.