Important for India to share evidence on Pahalgam attack with UNSC: Foreign affairs expert KP Fabian

New Delhi [India], May 15 (ANI): Foreign affairs expert KP Fabian has emphasised the importance of sharing evidence about the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam with the UN Security Council. Further, he said that India should make efforts to declare The Resistance Front (TRF) a terrorist organisation.

Speaking to ANI, Fabian talked about the possibility of China objecting to declaring TRF as a terrorist group. He said that the UNSC will not be able to declare the TRF a terrorist entity if China objects to it.

On being asked about Indian technical team in New York to meet UNSC on Pahalgam, he said, "It's very important that we tell the UN Security Council of the evidence that we have. You know, can't always share the evidence with the public unless at a later time, when maybe we can come out with a white paper, but not immediately. So, the evidence that we have and the reasons why we hold Pakistan responsible for Pahalgam. So and who, which particular terrorist agency has done it so that the Security Council has to be informed and we shall endeavour to see to it that The Resistance Front is declared a terrorist agency."

"That will be the correct thing for the Security Council to do. But the question is, will they do the thing? Because most probably China will object and since China is a veto-wielding permanent member, even if China is the only one objecting, the Security Council will not be able to take that decision. But let us see what happens. It is not in China's interest to permit terrorism in Pakistan, but that is China's choice," he said.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov of the Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and Assistant Secretary-General Natalia Gherman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) met with a Government of India delegation.

During the meeting between India and UN, the two sides discussed efforts to counter the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes, in line with the 2022 Delhi Declaration adopted by the Counter-Terrorism Committee under the Chairmanship of India, UN spokesperson said in response to ANI on the visit of the Indian Technical Team at UN in New York.

Fabian welcomed the US State Department spokesperson's statement that America was not doing any mediation. He said, "I welcome the statement. The spokesperson of the Department of State has said America was not doing any mediation and that important, America doesn't do any mediation on the Kashmir dispute. Two things. First, they did not do any mediation. That's correct."

While addressing a press briefing on May 13, the US State Department spokesperson Thomas "Timmy" Pigott said that the US encourages direct communication between India and Pakistan.

When asked about India's refusal to any US effort to mediate between New Delhi and Islamabad, Thomas "Timmy" Pigott said, "Well, I'm not going to speculate on that. What I can say is that we encourage direct communication. We have been clear on that. We continue to encourage that direct communication. The President has been clear on that. And the President, as I said, has also been clear in praising both prime ministers for choosing the path towards peace and the wisdom and fortitude that that shows."

Speaking on India's Operation Sindoor launched in Pakistan, KP Fabian said, "India struck the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan on the 7th of May. Now, Pakistan had the choice not to retaliate because it was the terrorist infrastructure that was targeted, not the Pakistan's military assets or even the civilian population. But then Pakistan decided to retaliate and therefore India had to retaliate."

Operation Sindoor was launched by the Indian Armed Forces in the early hours of May 7, targeting nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).This operation was a retaliatory response to the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians, including one Nepali national, while several others were injured.

After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres and airfields across airbases in Pakistan. On May 10, India and Pakistan reached an understanding on the cessation of hostilities. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)