India’s Former Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Syed Akbaruddin, criticized Pakistan’s recent attempt to internationalise tensions with India at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), calling it a “failed grandstanding” effort that received no support from the council.
In an interview with media on Tuesday, Akbaruddin pointed out that the closed-door UNSC meeting, which was held at Pakistan’s request, ended without a presidential statement, oral comment, or resolution, highlighting the global community’s lack of support for Islamabad’s claims.
“Pakistan’s quest to use multilateral organisations to attract global attention is not new. We have seen that on many occasions. This time, what it tried was to use an agenda item which has not been used formally in 60 years, the India-Pakistan question. The India-Pakistan question was last discussed in a formal meeting in 1965. So, Pakistan thought that perhaps it could use a channel of this sort to try and bring the issue between India and Pakistan onto the front burner. Alas, this is only grandstanding; we know that Pakistan focuses on public diplomacy rather than serious negotiations.”
“It uses all platforms primarily to project its image within the country and not outside. So, the effort, as has previous efforts, has faltered. The grandstanding did not work, and what happened was that once Pakistan made its case, there was no outcome, which means that the council refused to buy its case.”
Akbaruddin underscored that had there been any support, even the lowest form of UNSC response — a press statement or oral statement by the president — would have followed. Instead, “none of these four modalities came into being.”
Recalling a similar situation in 2019 following the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir, he said:
“It reminds me of 2019 when, after Article 370 was abrogated, Pakistan again tried to say that this happened inside and that happened inside, and then we had to respond to it. So, my take is it’s pretty simple. Pakistan’s effort at grandstanding has faltered. It has flopped in fact, and they’re making the best of a bad bargain where they couldn’t get any purchase among the 15 members and are now trying to sell it for their domestic audience.”
He noted that Pakistan did not answer media questions post-meeting, further indicating its lack of substance in the case it tried to build. According to sources, UNSC members questioned Pakistan’s role, specifically raising issues about Lashkar-e-Taiba’s (LeT) potential involvement in recent terror attacks.
“It’s not a statement, but an oral statement. A written statement is much higher, not even an oral statement, or a few points to the press were made. So, you can see that’s the lowest form of response… None of these four modalities came into being. So, you can see that it has failed to gain any purchase of a limited nature, also, despite all its efforts.”
When asked whether Pakistan had lost credibility in international forums, Akbaruddin said:
“So, the writing on the wall is pretty obvious. I’m not surprised because I’m aware of Pakistan’s standing in the Committee of Nations. It’s not a credible interlocutor because everybody knows it’s aiming at grandstanding, not at seriously advancing negotiations or de-escalating through engagement. So, for 50 years he’s been trying.”
“So, as I told you, the last time this issue was discussed at the Security Council in a formal meeting was 1965. 60 years have passed, and Pakistan has not been able to get this back onto the agenda and discuss it in a formal meeting. Even in an informal meeting, it could not get traction. So, I rest my case beyond that, I think the Indian diplomacy has been able to thwart these efforts by Pakistan, it’s not surprising because the world recognises who is in the right and who is in the wrong in this instance and we need to congratulate our diplomats for their quiet but efficient way in which they have managed to thwart one more effort of Pakistan at the United Nations.”
According to sources in New York, the UNSC session included broad condemnation of the recent terrorist attack and emphasized accountability. Several members also raised concerns about Pakistan’s nuclear rhetoric and missile tests, which were seen as escalatory.
The session concluded with a clear signal from UNSC members: Pakistan must resolve its differences bilaterally with India and stop trying to internationalise the matter without substantive cause.