‘Enough is Enough’, Conveyed Sushma’s Fine Performance at UNGA

Giving a strong message to Pakistan, Sushma conveyed it can’t be business as usual, writes Hardeep Singh Puri.

(This piece has been republished from The Quint’s archives in light of the author, Hardeep Singh Puri, being inducted as a minister in Prime Minister Modi’s cabinet on 3 September, 2017. It was originally published on 28 September, 2016.)

ExternalAffairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj’s address to the high-level segment of the71st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) was delivered on 26 September in somewhat difficult circumstances.

For the uninitiated, the UNGA – which sees the participation of all 193 UNmember states – provides a unique platform for the Heads-of-State/Government andother senior representatives, such as foreign ministers, to place on record theirofficial views on the pressing issues facing the international community andthe multilateral system. The theme for the current session is ‘The SustainableDevelopment Goals: A Universal Push to Transform Our World’.

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Strong Message to Pakistan

Why were thecircumstances for EAM Swaraj difficult this time? On 18 September, 19 Indiansoldiers were martyred as a result of a dastardly terror attack at Uri in Jammu& Kashmir. India’s mood in relation to Pakistan’s use of terrorism as aninstrument of policy and in relation to its repeated acts of terror could bedescribed as ‘enough is enough’. Clearly, all sections of the government,downwards from the Prime Minister, along with the entire society, have signalledthat it can no longer be ‘business as usual’ with Pakistan.

Equally, while the underlying desire for retribution is real, the world’s largest democracy must respond to these repeated provocations – most recently at Pathankot and in Uri now – in a responsible, mature, and calibrated manner, so as to drive home a message to Pakistan that it will have to pay a price.

Was the Uri episode an act of terror or an act of war? It was, at the very least,an act of terror. Evidence of Pakistan’s culpability was already shared byIndia’s Foreign Secretary with the Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi by 21 September. Pakistan is expected to maintain its usual deniability. India, thus,has been left with no choice but to further sensitise the world about the ‘IvyLeague of terror’ that Pakistan has truly become.

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Emphasis on India’s Development Initiatives

The EAM’saddress began on a high note with elucidations on how India was committed inits pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals via flagship programmes rangingfrom the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ to ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ and its upcomingsigning of the UNFCCC’s Paris Agreement on Gandhi Jayanti. She iterated how thePrime Minister Modi’s championing of ‘Climate Justice’ was inspired by MahatmaGandhi, who, eloquently put, ‘epitomised a lifestyle with the smallest carbonfootprint’. A highlight of the speech was also the simple yet effectivemessage on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

It took asharper turn with a shift in attention. The EAM went on to spare littleclemency for Pakistan’s stale, provocative stance on India and Kashmir, whichsaw a revival at the UNGA by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a familiar diatribeon 21 September. Sharif’s reference to a plebiscite on Kashmir makes little sense,since the UN resolutions cited in this regard were based on the priorwithdrawal of Pakistan’s troops from the region, which is yet to be seen.

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Raising Balochistan at UN

Labelingterrorism as ‘the worst violation of human rights’ and calling on the world torecognise and tackle states harbouring terrorists, Swaraj advised the potnot to call the kettle black, citing the rampant use of force andauthoritarianism in Balochistan. She also vigorously asserted India’s sovereignclaim on Kashmir to a burst of applause from the nation: ‘Kashmir is anintegral part of India and will always remain so’.

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Considering Terrorism as a War Crime

Theterrorist, indeed, takes away the most important right of all, the right tolife. If it can be established that a state has used terror as an instrument ofpolicy in waging war against another state, the possibility of thisconstituting a war crime can also be considered seriously.

Swaraj’s speech was not only well crafted, but, given the circumstances inwhich it was delivered, may well qualify, in terms of content and context, asone of the finest addresses by an Indian EAM at an international gathering.

(The writer presided over the UN Security Council and chaired its Counter-terrorism Committee and is a member of the BJP. He is the author of ‘Perilous Interventions: The Security Council and the Politics of Chaos’ . He can be reached at @HardeepSPuri. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)

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