Pakistan calls for strengthening of UNMOGIP after India’s 'illegal' actions

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has urged the United Nations Security Council to explore the possibility of strengthening the UN Military Observer Mission in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which monitors the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir.

“UNMOGIP’s role and importance have increased dramatically since India’s illegal de facto annexation of occupied Jammu and Kashmir on 5 August, in flagrant violation of multiple Security Council resolutions,” Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi told the 15-nation Council.

“Its efficacy has also become consequential due to mounting ceasefire violations by Indian forces, which necessitate regular and formal reporting to the Council,” the Pakistani envoy said while participating in a debate on UN Peacekeeping Operations, the world body’s flagship enterprise.

The Pakistani envoy underscored the need for the Security Council to continue monitoring the situation in occupied Kashmir, which is under siege since India’s clampdown nearly six weeks ago, and to ensure that India also allows it the requisite freedom of access and movement in order for it to fulfill its mandate.

UNMOGIP was deployed in January 1949 to supervise the ceasefire between India and Pakistan in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. While Pakistan allows UN observers to monitor the LoC, India does not.

The group, based in Rawalpindi, is composed of 44 military observers, supported by 25 international civilian personnel and 47 local civilian staff.

In her remarks, Ambassador Lodhi said Pakistan has been a consistent and reliable troop contributor to UN Peacekeeping Operations since 1960, providing over 200,000 troops to 46 missions.

In this context, she said that Pakistan, as a host to UNMOGIP, appreciates the role that the observer group plays in maintaining regional stability.