National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Tuesday walked out of a virtual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) NSAs after Pakistani representative projected a map that inaccurately depicted the borders of the two countries.
Pakistan’s representative sat before a “new” political map that showed Kashmir and Junagadh as part of its territory, sources said. According to sources, NSA Doval first consulted with the host, in this case the Russian NSA, before walking out of the conference.
Sources told The Daily Guardian that India had also raised objections to the display of Pakistan’s new political map in the background during a test call three days back.
“This is a blatant violation of the SCO Charter and the Russian side, as the Chair, tried very hard to persuade Pakistan not to do so,” said diplomatic sources.
According to sources, Russian NSA Nikolai Patrushev has made it clear that Moscow does not support what Pakistan has done. It hopes that Pakistan’s provocative act will not affect India’s participation in SCO and not cast a shadow on Patrushev’s warm personal relationship with Doval.
The Ministry of External Affairs said the display of the map was “a blatant disregard to the advisory by the host against it and in violation of the norms of the meeting”.
“After consultation with the host, the Indian side left the meeting in protest at that juncture,” admitted MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava.
“At the meeting of the National Security Advisers (NSAs) of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), hosted by the chair of the SCO (Russia), the Pakistani NSA deliberately projected a fictitious map that Pakistan has recently been propagating,” said external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava.
“This was in blatant disregard to the advisory by the host against it and in violation of the norms of the meeting. After consultation with the host, the Indian side left the meeting in protest at that juncture,” he said, adding: “As was to be expected, Pakistan then went on to present a misleading view of this meeting.”
meeting. After consultation with the host, the Indian side left the meeting in protest at that juncture,” he said, adding: “As was to be expected, Pakistan then went on to present a misleading view of this meeting.”
Moreover, a strong protest will be registered with the Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi over the happening. It is, after all, the matter of utter disregard to the charter of the SCO. Officials say that other SCO members countries whose NSAs were there in the virtual meeting should also condemn Pakistan for such an act.