India abstains in UNGA on draft resolution on Afghanistan

United Nations: India on Monday abstained in the UN General Assembly on a draft resolution on Afghanistan as it noted that a “business as usual” approach is unlikely to deliver outcomes that the global community envisions for the Afghan people.

The 193-member UN General Assembly adopted a draft resolution, introduced by Germany on ‘The situation in Afghanistan’. The resolution was adopted with 116 votes in favour; two against and 12 abstentions, including by India.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, in the explanation of vote, said that any coherent policy to address a post-conflict situation must combine a mix of policy instruments – incentivising positive behaviour and disincentivising harmful actions.

“An approach focused only on punitive measures, in our view, is unlikely to succeed. The United Nations and the broader international community have adopted more balanced and nuanced approaches in other post-conflict contexts,” Harish said.

He also said that no new policy instruments have been introduced to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan since August 2021, when the Taliban took over Kabul.

“A 'business as usual' approach, without new and targeted initiatives, is unlikely to deliver the outcomes the international community envisions for the Afghan people,” he said.

Harish stressed that India is closely monitoring the security situation in Afghanistan and underscored that the international community must direct its coordinated efforts towards ensuring that entities and individuals designated by the UN Security Council, the Al Qaeda and their affiliates, ISIL and their affiliates, including Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, along with their regional sponsors who facilitate their operations, no longer exploit the Afghan territory for terrorist activities, a reference to Pakistan.

He noted that on the political front, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar recently spoke with the Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi.

India welcomed “the strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack” of April 22 by the Afghan side.

“This conversation followed a meeting between India’s Foreign Secretary and the Acting Foreign Minister, where both sides discussed various bilateral issues and regional developments,” Harish said.

Jaishankar had spoken with Muttaqi in May, his first interaction with the Taliban acting foreign minister.

“Good conversation with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi this evening. Deeply appreciate his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Welcomed his firm rejection of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and baseless reports.

“Underlined our traditional friendship with the Afghan people and continuing support for their development needs. Discussed ways and means of taking cooperation forward,” Jaishankar had said.

Reiterating India’s historic ties with the people of Afghanistan and its enduring commitment to meeting their humanitarian and developmental needs, Harish said that while New Delhi remains committed to continued engagement with all relevant stakeholders and broadly supports the international community’s efforts towards a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan, “India has decided to abstain on this resolution.” The resolution expressed deep concern over the dire economic, humanitarian and social conditions, persistent violence and the presence of terrorist groups, the absence of political inclusivity and representative decision-making, as well as violations and abuses of human rights, including those of women, girls and persons belonging to minorities since the takeover by the Taliban.

It recognised that the health, well-being, prosperity and security of the people of Afghanistan affect the entire region and beyond and maintained that sustainable and lasting peace can be achieved only through long-term social, economic and political stability, which requires full respect for civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights as well as commitment to inclusive and representative governance.

It also called upon the Taliban to fulfil and respect their assurances for the safety and security of diplomatic personnel and premises, humanitarian workers and international organisations in Afghanistan.

The resolution expressed serious concern about the grave, worsening, widespread and systematic oppression of all women and girls in Afghanistan by the Taliban, which, as documented by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, has put in place “an institutionalised system of discrimination, segregation, disrespect for human dignity and the exclusion of women and girls.

It recalled the obligations of Afghanistan under international law, in particular human rights, refugee and international humanitarian law, and stressed the need to ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Harish said that India’s approach to Afghanistan – as its contiguous neighbour with deep historical and cultural ties – has always been guided by its longstanding friendship and special relationship with the Afghan people. “As a long-standing partner, India has direct stakes in ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan,” Harish said.

He noted that since the UNGA last considered this issue in November 2022, India has been actively engaging with regional and international stakeholders to promote peace, stability and development in Afghanistan.

“We believe that international and regional consensus and cooperation on key issues concerning Afghanistan are essential. Our participation in UN meetings in Doha and other regional forums reflects our ongoing efforts,” he said.

Harish said that India’s immediate priorities in Afghanistan include the provision of humanitarian assistance and the implementation of capacity-building initiatives for the Afghan people. “India’s commitment to Afghanistan’s reconstruction is demonstrated through more than 500 development partnership projects across all provinces,” he said.