Their K-Pop Is Outta Tune

A flailing Pakistan fails to force Kashmir on the UN Security Council, and China reads a stern Indian message

- Pranay Sharma

The fear psychosis over India-Pakistan tensions turning into a South Asian nuclear Armageddon is periodically raised in certain quarters around the world. That has so far failed to force the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to convene a meeting for a detailed discussion on the hostility bet ween the two neighbours, seen in the light of new developments in Jammu and Kashmir.

In nearly five decades, the UNSC—the world’s highest body on security-related issues—have been consistently reluctant to debate the possible future and impact of India-Pakistan relations. The last time it met to discuss a matter related to India-Pakistan ties was in 1971. Truly momentous developments of that year witnessed a gargantuan influx of refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan into India, a third India-Pakistan war and the creation of the new nation of Bangladesh.

Therefore, when a desperate Pakistan seeks China’s support to diplomatically embarrass India in the wake of the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of J&K into two Union territories, can their joint effort convince the UNSC to convene a ‘meeting’ to discuss the impact of India’s decisions? Not every gathering of the UNSC is called a ‘meeting’—it is termed as such when most members agree to meet urgently to discuss a development with a likely global impact. Soon after India’s decision on Kashmir, a breathless Pakistan had rushed foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to Beijing to garner China’s support. He subsequently announced that Pakistan was to raise Kashmir at the UN Security Council.