India Gears Up as Pakistan Prepares to Raise J&K Issue at United Nations Amid UNSC Presidency

India Gears Up as Pakistan Prepares to Raise J&K Issue: India is in for a busy July at the United Nations as Pakistan ups the ante, especially on the Kashmir issue. Pakistan, which is the chair of the UN Security Council for July, is hosting two big events during its presidency.

The first is a high-level open debate this week, to be chaired by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar. While the debate is officially on promoting peaceful settlement of international disputes, HT has learnt that Islamabad will bring up the Kashmir issue during the open debate. India will also deliver a statement on Kashmir during the debate.

“It is time for the Kashmir dispute to be addressed. And I would say, this is not solely Pakistan’s responsibility — we are here temporarily, serving a two-year term as a non-permanent member,” said Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, in a press conference on July 1.

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“It is incumbent upon the Council — especially the permanent members — to take concrete steps to ensure the implementation of their own resolutions,” he went on to say.

Islamabad is also trying to raise the profile of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation at the United Nations. The second big event will be a briefing, again chaired by Foreign Minister Dar, on the partnership between the OIC and the UN. The OIC, formed in 1969, has 57 member states from West Asia, Africa and Asia. The grouping has repeatedly questioned and criticised India’s handling of Jammu and Kashmir, especially after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

The OIC has been seeking to increase its profile at the United Nations for some time now. In November 2024, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for enhanced cooperation with the OIC on international security, human rights, counter-terrorism and humanitarian issues.

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Under Chapter VIII of the UN charter, the UN can establish close working partnerships with key regional organisations for the maintenance of international peace and security. A classic example is the UN’s partnership with the African Union, where the former provides financial and capacity building support to the latter’s peacekeeping missions in Africa.

According to sources, Pakistan is expected to push for a regional partnership between the OIC and the UN. But India has concerns about the OIC becoming a key regional partner for the UN. Given the OIC’s past positions on issues of concern to New Delhi, India will work with countries on the UN Security Council on these concerns.

By the end of the month, Pakistan will pass on the UN Security Council presidency to Panama. Pakistan is a non-permanent member of the UNSC till 31 December 2026, the end of its two-year term. India is already campaigning to get back to the UNSC as a non-permanent member in 2028-29.

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