Permanent Representative of India to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

India has slammed Pakistan and described it as a “broken record” that remains stagnant while the world progresses, after Islamabad’s envoy made references to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) during remarks to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA.)

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said this while responding to comments made by Pakistan’s Ambassador Munir Akram during the plenary meeting on March 15 where the resolution ‘Measures to combat Islamophobia’, introduced by Pakistan, was adopted by the 193-member UN General Assembly.

“One final point concerns a delegation (and its remarks) that, much like a broken record, remains sadly stagnant while the world progresses,” she said.

Mr. Akram made references to the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya as well as to the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Ms. Kamboj said it is “unfortunate indeed to witness this delegation’s limited and misguided perspective on matters relating to my country, the more so, when the General Assembly considers a matter that demands wisdom, depth, and a global outlook from the entire membership – perhaps not the forte of this delegation.” Ms. Kamboj delivered a statement in explanation of India’s position during the adoption of the resolution on ‘Measures to combat Islamophobia’ at the UNGA.

The General Assembly adopted the resolution, with 115 nations voting in favour, none against and 44 abstentions, including India, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Ukraine and the UK.

New York:

India is committed to support a two-state solution where the Palestinian people are able to live freely in an independent country, with due regard to the security needs of Israel, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj has said.

Delivering an address at the United Nations General Assembly Meeting on the Use of Veto on Monday, Ms Kamboj said that India’s position on the conflict has been clear and has been stated on several occasions.

“Only a Two-State solution, achieved through direct and meaningful negotiations between both sides on final status issues, will deliver an enduring peace. India is committed to support a Two-State solution where the Palestinian people are able to live freely in an independent country within secure borders, with due regard to the security needs of Israel,” Ms Kamboj said.

Urging for immediate de-escalation, India’s Permanent envoy said, “In order to arrive at a lasting solution, we urge for immediate de-escalation, eschewing violence, release of all hostages, avoiding provocative and escalatory actions, and to work towards creating conditions for an early resumption of direct peace negotiations.”

“India’s position on the conflict has been clear and has been stated on several occasions by our leadership…the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to large scale loss of civilian lives, especially women and children. As I mentioned before, this has also resulted in an alarming humanitarian crisis. This is clearly unacceptable,” she strongly noted.

Ms Kamboj said, “We have strongly condemned the deaths of civilians in the conflict. It is critical to prevent further escalation of violence and hostilities. It is imperative to avoid the loss of civilian lives in any conflict situation. International law and international humanitarian law must be respected under all circumstances.”

Reiterating India’s stance on Israel-Hamas war, she stated that the trigger of the conflict were the terror attacks in Israel on October 7 last year. Those attacks require unequivocal condemnation.

“India has a longstanding and uncompromising position against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. There can be no justifications for terrorism and hostage taking. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” Ms Kamboj said.

She called for humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza be scaled up immediately in order to avert a further deterioration in the situation.

“We urge all parties to come together in this endeavour. We welcome the efforts of the UN and international community in this regard. India has provided humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine and will continue to do so,” Ms Kamboj added.

The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.

Israel has characterised its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas’ infrastructure with the goal of eliminating the entire terror group while making efforts to minimize civilian casualties.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has time and again, made it clear that Israel would not agree to a ceasefire, and has noted that calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas.

Earlier on February 26, CNN reported that Hamas backed off some key demands in the negotiations for a hostage deal and paused the fighting in Gaza after Israeli said that its position was “delusional”.

It brought the negotiating parties closer to an initial agreement that could halt the fighting and see a group of Israeli hostages released, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.

Following the meeting held in Paris between the US, Egyptian, and Israeli intelligence chiefs and the Qatari prime minister, a senior Biden administration official said, “The major obstacles have been resolved in terms of Hamas insisting on a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and an end to the war,” CNN reported.

“Hamas’ requirements for the number of Palestinians (prisoners that) would have to be freed have declined,” the official added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi was on Monday appointed India’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) and other international organisations in Geneva.

Mr Bagchi, a 1995-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) official, took over as spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in March 2020 and deftly handled a number of critical issues and developments including the eastern Ladakh border row, India’s COVID-19 response and New Delhi’s G20 presidency.

In Geneva, Mr Bagchi would succeed Indra Mani Pandey who is set to return to New Delhi.

“Arindam Bagchi (IFS:1995), presently Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed as the next Ambassador/Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva,” the MEA said in a brief statement.

“He is expected to take up the assignment shortly,” it said.

It is learnt that around four senior diplomats, including joint secretary (G20) Nagaraj Naidu Kakanur and high commissioner to Mauritius K Nandini Singla are being considered for the post of MEA spokesperson.

Earlier, Mr Bagchi served as ambassador to Croatia and deputy high commissioner to Sri Lanka.

He also had a stint in the Prime Minister’s Office as a director as well as at India’s permanent mission at the UN in New York.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)