ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister Office is considering taking up the recent controversial statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the creation of Bangladesh and the ongoing Indian interference in Pakistan at the United Nations.

A close aide to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told Dawn that the issue was discussed at the Foreign Office last week in the presence of the country’s representative to the UN, Dr Maleeha Lodhi, and most of the participants of the meeting were of the view that Pakistan must take it to the UN.

But considering Mr Sharif’s desire to develop friendly ties with India, it will be interesting to see his reaction to the suggestions of the Foreign Office. The prime minister went to Delhi in May last year on Mr Modi’s invitation to attend his oath-taking ceremony, but since then relations between the two countries had only soured.

According to sources privy to the development, a consensus had emerged during the meetings at the Foreign Office that the Indian prime minister’s speech made by him in Dhaka last month and ‘evidence’ about India’s ongoing interference in Pakistan’s affairs must be taken to the UN.

Input from all state institutions concerned dealing with internal and external security was duly incorporated during discussions at the Foreign Office and it was decided to take up the matter to the international body, multiple sources privy to the development confided to Dawn.

“A final call, of course, will be made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who has been conveyed the response of the Foreign Office and other state institutions concerned that the government must give importance to the provocative statement of Mr Modi,” a senior government official told Dawn.

After holding consultations at the Foreign Office, Dr Lodhi met the prime minister. The Foreign Office said Dr Lodhi was in Islamabad for consultations on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s planned visit to the UN in September to attend a series of summits, besides addressing the General Assembly.

At the moment three forums are reportedly under consideration which could be used to register Pakistan’s protest against India at the UN.

“I think the UN General Assembly session can be a more appropriate place to highlight the subject that how a sitting prime minister of India has admitted his country’s interference in other country,” remarked a retired federal secretary.

Foreign Office spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said Pakistan had all options available, but “I have no information whether or not the government has formally decided to take the matter to the UN”.

In the speech at Dhaka University, Mr Modi publicly accepted the Indian government and its people’s role in the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. A few days later, Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that terrorists had to be neutralised only through terrorists, implying that his country will not resist from sponsoring terrorist acts in other countries.

But the sources said the government had decided to take up at the UN only Mr Modi’s statement and incidents of Indian interference in Pakistan.

“The much-talked about BBC report that the MQM receives financial assistance from the Indian intelligence agency, RAW, will not be part of the case to be raised at the UN,” said the government official.

Since the UK government was already pursuing the cases of murder and money-laundering against the MQM and its leadership, there was no need to take the issue to the UN, he added.

Talking to Dawn, Ahmar Bilal Sufi, a former caretaker federal law minister and expert on international law, favoured taking up Mr Modi’s speech at the UN.

“What Mr Modi said in his speech in Dhaka is tantamount to self-indictment in an act of interference in another country.”

Under international law, Mr Sufi explained, this was the most blatant violation of the basic building block of the UN – the principle of non-interference.

Mr Sufi said according to the UN resolution 1373, passing such caustic statements, coupled with reported incidents of India’s interference in the country, clearly suggested that it (India) was effectively obstructing Pakistan’s ongoing counter-terrorism efforts.

“I am of the strong opinion that the government must not hesitate from putting these facts before the international community and pursue its case under the light of UN charter and resolutions,” he said.

Following the attacks in the US on Sept 11, 2001, the Security Council adopted resolution 1373 which unequivocally “reaffirms the principle established by the General Assembly in its declaration of October 1970 (resolution 2625 (XXV)) and reiterated by the Security Council in its resolution 1189 (1998) of 13 August 1998, namely that every state has the duty to refrain from organising, instigating, assisting or participating in terrorist acts in another state or acquiescing in organised activities within its territory directed towards the commission of such acts”.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2015

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