India abstained from voting on the United Nations Common Meeting (UNGA) decision concerning the scenario in Afghanistan on Monday, noting {that a} “enterprise as ordinary” strategy with out new and focused initiatives is unlikely to ship the outcomes the worldwide group envisions for the Afghan individuals.
The textual content titled “The scenario in Afghanistan” was adopted by a vote of 116 in favour to 2 in opposition to (Israel, United States), with 12 abstentions.
Whereas delivering the reason of the vote on the UNGA decision on the scenario in Afghanistan, India’s Everlasting Consultant to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, stated that India is carefully monitoring the safety scenario in Afghanistan and referred to as on the worldwide group to direct its coordinated efforts in direction of making certain that entities and people designated by the UN not exploit Afghan soil for terrorist actions.
He stated, “India is carefully monitoring the safety scenario in Afghanistan. The worldwide group should direct its coordinated efforts in direction of making certain that entities and people designated by the UN Safety Council – – the Al Qaeda and their associates, ISIL and their associates, together with Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, together with their regional sponsors who facilitate their operations, not exploit the Afghan territory for terrorist actions.”
The UN Common Meeting adopted a decision calling on Afghanistan to uphold human rights, adhere to worldwide regulation and take decisive motion in opposition to terrorism amid a worsening humanitarian disaster, rising numbers of returnees and the enduring influence of many years of battle.
Recalling current talks between Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Taliban-appointed Overseas Minister, Harish stated, “On the political entrance, India’s Exterior Affairs Minister lately spoke with the Performing Overseas Minister of Afghanistan. We welcome the sturdy condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist assault of April 22, 2025, by the Afghan aspect. This dialog adopted a gathering between India’s Overseas Secretary and the Performing Overseas Minister, the place either side mentioned varied bilateral points and regional developments.”
He acknowledged that India’s strategy to Afghanistan has all the time been guided by “long-standing friendship and particular friendship” with the Afghans.
“India’s strategy to Afghanistan – as its contiguous neighbour with deep historic and cultural ties – has all the time been guided by our longstanding friendship and particular relationship with the Afghan individuals. As a long-standing associate, India has direct stakes in making certain peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he acknowledged.
Harish stated that India has been actively partaking with regional and worldwide stakeholders to advertise peace, stability and improvement in Afghanistan because the UNGA final thought-about the problem in 2022.
He additional stated, “We imagine that worldwide and regional consensus and cooperation on key points regarding Afghanistan are important. Our participation in UN conferences in Doha and different regional boards displays our ongoing efforts, together with our current participation within the conferences held in Doha final week.”
He additionally spoke in regards to the humanitarian help supplied by India to Afghanistan.
“India’s rapid priorities in Afghanistan embrace the availability of humanitarian help and the implementation of capacity-building initiatives for the Afghan individuals. Now we have been working carefully with UN businesses to assist the Afghan individuals in important areas equivalent to well being, meals safety, schooling and sports activities. India’s dedication to Afghanistan’s reconstruction is demonstrated by greater than 500 improvement partnership tasks throughout all provinces.”
He acknowledged that India, since August 2021, provided round 50,000 metric tons of wheat, over 330 metric tons of medicines and vaccines, 40,000 litres of the pesticide Malathion, and 58.6 metric tons of different important objects, supporting tens of millions of Afghans in dire want of humanitarian help. He additionally talked about India’s efforts to supply assist to Afghanistan in partnership with the UN Workplace on Medicine and Crime.
“In partnership with the United Nations Workplace on Medicine and Crime (UNODC), we’ve supplied 84 MTs of help and medicines and 32 MTs of social assist objects for drug rehabilitation programmes in Afghanistan, notably these centered on ladies. India additionally continues to supply scholarships and fellowships to Afghan college students. Since 2023, we’ve supplied scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate programs to 2,000 Afghan college students, together with almost 600 women and girls,” he stated.
He emphasised that any coverage to handle a post-conflict scenario should mix a mixture of coverage devices – incentivising optimistic behaviour and disincentivising dangerous actions and an strategy centered on punitive measures is unlikely to succeed.
He stated, “Any coherent coverage to handle a post-conflict scenario should mix a mixture of coverage devices – incentivizing optimistic behaviour and disincentivizing dangerous actions. An strategy centered solely on punitive measures, in our view, is unlikely to succeed.”
“The United Nations and the broader worldwide group have adopted extra balanced and nuanced approaches in different post-conflict contexts. Nevertheless, no new coverage devices have been launched to handle the worsening humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan since August 2021. A ‘enterprise as ordinary’ strategy, with out new and focused initiatives, is unlikely to ship the outcomes the worldwide group envisions for the Afghan individuals,” he added.
He emphasised India’s historic ties with the individuals of Afghanistan and expressed dedication to assembly their humanitarian and developmental wants.
He stated, “I want to reiterate India’s historic ties with the individuals of Afghanistan and our enduring dedication to assembly their humanitarian and developmental wants. Whereas we stay dedicated to continued engagement with all related stakeholders and broadly assist the worldwide group’s efforts in direction of a steady, peaceable and affluent Afghanistan, India has determined to abstain on this decision.”