DID Press: India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Parvathaneni Harish, has accused Pakistan of obstructing Afghanistan’s trade and transit access, saying the restrictions violate international principles governing landlocked developing countries.
Speaking at a UN Security Council briefing on Afghanistan, Harish said India strongly condemned what he described as restrictions imposed on Afghanistan’s trade and transit in violation of UN declarations concerning landlocked developing countries, World Trade Organization norms, the UN Charter and international law.
Harish said the trade and transit vulnerabilities of landlocked countries should not be used as instruments of pressure. He argued that restricting a landlocked country’s access to trade routes contravenes international norms and called for the international community to condemn such practices.
The Indian envoy also reiterated New Delhi’s support for Afghanistan’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence.
The remarks come amid continued tensions between India, Pakistan and Afghanistan over trade routes, border access and regional security. Harish has previously accused Pakistan of imposing trade and transit restrictions on Afghanistan and described the use of the country’s landlocked position as a form of pressure.