India’s Subrahmanyam Jaishankar criticises Pakistan, China at UN, cites ‘karma’

In an address at the United Nations General Assembly, New Delhi’s top diplomat on Saturday took the opportunity to criticise Pakistan and China for undermining the territorial integrity of their neighbours and made an urgent call for a “more representative” UN to solve the world’s myriad problems.

“Unviable projects raise debt levels. Any connectivity that clouds sovereignty and territorial integrity acquires strategic connotations, especially when it is not a shared endeavour,” Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in his UNGA address, referencing the contentious US$62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project that passes through the disputed Kashmir region.

CPEC was launched in 2015 as part of China’s signature Belt and Road Initiative, aimed at bolstering regional connectivity through significant infrastructure development. India maintains that the project violates its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

In his speech Saturday, Jaishankar attributed Pakistan’s dismal economic situation to its “conscious choices” and neighbourhood “misdeeds”.

“Countries get left behind due to circumstances beyond their control, but some make conscious choices with disastrous consequences,” he said. “A premier example is our neighbour, Pakistan. Unfortunately, the misdeeds affect others as well, especially the neighbourhood”.

The foreign minister taunted Islamabad saying “its GDP can only be measured in terms of radicalisation and its exports in the form of terrorism”.

Jaishankar added that “dysfunctional” Pakistan’s problems were “only karma”, warning that “actions will certainly have consequences”.