During the Raisina Dialogue 2025, India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar criticised the United Nations for its handling of the Kashmir issue, describing it as a significant blunder. He asserted that the UN had misrepresented India's situation by framing what he termed an "invasion" as merely a "dispute," thereby equating the aggressor, Pakistan, with the victim, India.

This mis-characterisation has persisted since 1947 when Pakistan invaded Jammu and Kashmir, which had acceded to India.

Jaishankar reiterated that this is the longest-standing illegal occupation of territory following World War II, highlighting the selective application of global standards regarding sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Jaishankar pointed out that historical injustices have been perpetuated by Western nations, including the UK, Canada, and the USA, who he accused of complicity in shaping an inaccurate narrative around Kashmir.

He argued for a reformed and fair United Nations that applies rules consistently across all nations. He noted that while Western interventions in other countries are often justified as promoting democracy, similar actions by non-Western nations are labelled as malign influences.

In his remarks, Jaishankar called for a new world order that acknowledges changing power dynamics and ensures fairness in international relations. He stressed that a strong UN is essential but must be built on principles of equity and justice to be effective.

"A strong global order must have some basic consistency of standards," he said, calling for a new and reformed world order. "Look, I think we do need an international order just like we need a domestic order. Just like you need a society in a country, you need an international version of that and its not just big countries who will benefit if there is no order. I would argue that any country which would take risk, which would have an extreme positions, which would test the system will actually use the disorder to its advantage. I mean we have seen in our own neighbourhood. You don't have to a big country to be a risky country. I have smaller neighbours who have done a pretty good job. So, first of all, we should all understand the importance of an order." Jaishankar said.

Citing another example without naming Pakistan and how the West has been selective in its outlook, Mr Jaishankar said "We (India) have military rule to our east - in Myanmar. They are no-no. But we have them even more to the west. You know where? They seem to be okay (to the West). I think it's important to audit the working of the world for the last eight decades and be honest about it and to understand today that the balances, the share holdings in the world have changed. We need a different conversation. We need frankly in that sense a different order."

His statements reflect India's ongoing struggle to assert its sovereignty over Kashmir and challenge the prevailing international discourse surrounding the issue.

Agencies