UNGA held 77th session this week ‘on the responsibility to protect & prevention of genocide but practically it miserably failed: Dr. Fai  

WASHINGTON, D.C. (SABAH): Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Chairman, World Forum for Peace & Justice has said that the United Nations, General Assembly held its 77th session this week ‘on the responsibility to protect and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity’. However, the United Nations has miserably failed in achieving any success in this regard. 

 Dr. Fai elaborated that the United Nations doctrine of the principle of ‘Responsibility to Protect (R2P),’ the international understanding to intervene to stop atrocities from taking place, was adopted at the 2005 World Summit. All the heads of state and government at the summit, without reservation, committed to the doctrine, and subsequent unanimous adoptions of General Assembly and Security Council resolutions reaffirmed the principle. Sometimes known as ‘R2P’. 

He said that the doctrine holds states responsible for shielding their own populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and related crimes against humanity, requiring the international community to step in if this obligation is not met.  

Speaking in the debate, Dr. Manmohan Singh, then the prime minister of India made an impactful statement ‘The international community is generous in setting goals, but parsimonious in pursuing them.’ A big statement made by Dr. Manmohan Singh, to be sure, but it has little credibility in the face of persistent policies by successive Indian governments, including his own, against the defenseless people of Kashmir.  

 Dr. Fai stated that in Kashmir we have a case of a large country bullying a small nation into submission in violation of not only their right to sovereignty but international agreements and two dozen UN resolutions giving them the right to determine their own political fate. The purpose of so many troops (900,000) stationed in this small country is for no other purpose but blatant oppression and suppression of the civilian population. Their presence makes Kashmir the largest army concentration anywhere in the world.  

 Dr. Fai said that while American foreign policy is supposed to be grounded on moral values, democratic ideals and universal principles, it would appear that wherever the crowd of commercial interests get VIP status, such ideals and principles are easily set aside, relegated to the back of the room, where it’s standing room only. Money talks; ideals walk. This was manifested when the red carpet was rolled out this week at the White House for Narendra Modi by President Biden.  

He went on to say that not a single word of condemnation of human rights violations was uttered because Biden Administration feels awkward and unequipped to intervene in Kashmir conflict. India is too powerful economically and does not listen to morals and ethics when everyone wants his wallet on the table.  

Doesn’t the Biden Administration recognize these contradictory standards? How is international credibility and trust engendered by such behavior? Doesn’t the corrupt and cynical become more emboldened, and does it not sow the seeds of hatred and deeper more lasting conflict among those who suffer because of it, Fai asked? 

 George Okoth-Obbo, Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect said in his opening remarks that ‘The keystone of R2P is, as has been underlined so many times is prevention. At the same time, to craft and deliver solutions that are effective for this purpose, it is crucial that the root causes, risks, triggers and multipliers of atrocity crimes are properly discerned.’  

 Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General warned in 2000 Millennium Report that “if humanitarian intervention is, indeed, an unacceptable assault on sovereignty, how should we respond to a Rwanda, to a Srebrenica, to gross and systematic violation of human rights that offend every precept of our common humanity?” It is worth mentioning here that Dr. Gregory Stanton, Chairman, Genocide Watch warned the Biden Administration in January 2022 that “We believe that the Indian government’s actions in Kashmir have been an extreme case of persecution and could very well lead to genocide.” 

 Isn’t it time that Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations brings the situation in Kashmir to the attention of the Security Council under the provision of the Article 99 of the United Nations Charter, he said and added the Article 99 authorizes the Secretary General to ‘bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security’. 

Kashmir undoubtedly has a potential to trigger a nuclear confrontation between two nuclear rivals – India & Pakistan – unless the root cause of the confrontation – Kashmir – is resolved, Dr. Fai cautioned.