India’s veiled attack on China over use of veto for Pakistan
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NEW DELHI - India has criticised the use of “hidden veto” in the subsidiary organs of the UN Security Council such as the Sanctions Committees, apparently hitting out at China for repeatedly blocking its bid to list Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.
A veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has repeatedly blocked India’s move at the UN to designate Azhar a global terrorist under the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the top organ.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, addressing an informal meeting of the Plenary on the Intergovernmental negotiations on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council, said he welcomes the chairs’ suggestion to explore how the veto impacts work and effectiveness of an enlarged Council. ADVERTISEMENT
In a sharp retort, Akbaruddin said the use of hidden vetoes in places “where it was never meant to be exercised”, is instead impacting the work and effectiveness of the Council.
“In this context, we would like to highlight a little explored practice of the ‘hidden’ veto exercised in the subsidiary organs of the Council. Let me try and explain what this hidden veto is,” Akbaruddin said here yesterday.
He added that there are more than a dozen subsidiary organs of the Council, each pronouncing numerous decisions annually. Citing the example of the Sanctions Committees, Akbaruddin said each of them, the veto is exercised with “none of us even being informed about it.” ADVERTISEMENT
He pointed out that those permanent Council members who cast the ‘hidden’ veto are not required to provide a public explanation for their actions.
“Such a veto is neither recorded nor made public. In fact, even the proposal, which is denied by the use of the ‘hidden’ veto, is never made public, as it is considered ‘blocked’.”
Though Akbaruddin did not mention the name of any country, it is well known that China in the past has used its veto power when it came to designating terrorists or extremist groups having links with the Pakistani establishment.
