NEW YORK: The UN Security Council will meet on Friday (today) to discuss the worsening security situation in Afghanistan under India’s presidency.
Pakistan has expressed hope 15-member body will make an “objective evaluation” of the developments in that strife-torn country.
“The concern about the situation in Afghanistan is understandable,” Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations(UN), Munir Akram, said when APP correspondent asked for his reaction about the move to hold the council meeting on Afghanistan.
“It is, however, important that the Security Council make an objective evaluation of the situation”, Ambassador Akram stressed.
“Under Indian Presidency, there may be an effort to project a distorted picture in the Security Council, which could further complicate the endeavour to promote a political settlement,” the Pakistani envoy added.
The decision to hold the open UNSC briefing on Afghanistan came just a day after Afghanistan Foreign Minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar spoke with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar” to discuss convening an emergency UN Security Council Session” on Afghanistan. India holds the president of the Security Council for the month of March.
“UN #SecurityCouncil will meet on Friday, 6th August, under Indian Presidency to discuss and take stock of the situation in #Afghanistan,” India’s Permanent Representative to UN and Security Council President Ambassador TS Tirumurti tweeted late on Wednesday evening.
The fighting between the Taliban and Afghanistan’s government forces has intensified over the past few months as US and NATO troops complete their withdrawal from the war-torn country.
A meeting on Afghanistan had not been scheduled during this month as per the Council’s Programme of Work for the month adopted on August 2.
On August 3, the powerful 15-nation Security Council had condemned in the “strongest terms” last week’s “deplorable” attack against the United Nations compound in Herat, Afghanistan and expressed “deep concern” over the high levels of violence in the war-torn country following the Taliban’s military offensive.
The council also declared that it does “not support the restoration of the Islamic Emirate.”
“The members of the Security Council called on both the Islamic Republic and the Taliban to engage meaningfully in an inclusive, Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process in order to make urgent progress towards a political settlement and a ceasefire,” the strongly-worded UNSC statement had said.
