The UN Security Council has, in strongest terms, condemned this week’s attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange building in Karachi, the country’s financial capital.
In a statement, Security Council President Christoph Heusgen said the council members condemn in the strongest terms the “heinous and cowardly terrorist attack.” However there are conflicting reports in Indian and Pakistani media on some countries trying to delay this statement from UNSC. Pakistani media is reporting that India tried blocking this statement but failed. Indian media is reporting that United States and Germany delayed this statement.
UN condemns attack on Pakistan Stock Exchange
“The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of Pakistan, and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured,” he said.
The top UN body reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.
“The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Government of Pakistan and all other relevant authorities in this regard,” the statement said.
The members reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, and reaffirmed the need to combat terrorism by all means.
India tried killing the UNSC Statement on BLA Attack?
Pakistani media – both TV channels and newspapers – are reporting that India tried blocking and changing this statement from UNSC but failed. Statement was sponsored by China on Tuesday and it remained under discussion for one full day, finally issued on Wednesday. New York, United States, where UN Headquarters are located is nine hours behind Pakistan in time zone.
UNSC condemns terrorist attack on PSX in Karachi- The Nation, Pakistan
Indian media reports that first Germany and then United States intervened and that delayed the UNSC statement. However Pakistani media, without naming Germany and the United States report that Indian diplomats were furiously working through some friendly countries to block this UNSC statement but failed in the end.
Also read from Indian publication, Times Now, that quotes from Indian News Agency, ANI
UNSC condemns ‘heinous and cowardly’ terror attack at Pakistan stock exchange building in Karachi
UNSC was sponsored and pushed by China. BLA – supported by India – is promoting itself as an Anti-China militant outfit. Terrorist events staged by BLA in the last few years are orchestrated in a way to shape narrative that Baluch are fighting Chinese imperialism in the region. There is a growing western and Indian narrative that attempts to paint China as a Neo-colonial power that is exploiting developing nations of Asia and Africa through resource extraction and dept traps. In Pakistan China – like Turkey – is the most favoured nation. Prominent TV Anchor, Moeed Pirzada, recently explained BLA’s reinvention as Anti-Chinese outfit in a video discussion with GVS.
Details of Pakistan Stock Exchange attack
Four gunmen armed with grenades attacked the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Monday, killing two guards and a policeman before being killed by law enforcement officers.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said he had no doubt that India was behind the attack claimed by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army, but New Delhi denied the allegations.
At least eleven people were killed — including four attackers — when an attack by gunmen on the Pakistan Stock Exchange building in the southern port city of Karachi was foiled on Monday.
Read more: India cannot stand peace in Pakistan: Stock exchange attack in Karachi their doing?
Abid Habib, a director at the PSX, told Al Jazeera by telephone that he and 20 other employees took shelter in their offices while security forces swept through the building to locate any additional threats.
“We are all terrified,” Habib said. “There was gunfire, and suddenly everyone was rushing to the windows to see what was happening. Because the firing was close by, everyone was very worried, and we closed our outside doors.”
I salute our brave police & security personnel who thwarted the condemnable terrorist attack in Karachi on #PakistanStockExchange. pic.twitter.com/WGcM28wzSI
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 29, 2020
The PSX normally houses more than 2,000 employees of both the exchange and associated trading companies, but was operating with reduced staff due to the coronavirus pandemic, PSX official Sulaiman Mehdi told reporters outside the building.
Images from the building showed trails of blood splattered across a staircase and an adjacent corridor inside the building.
Senior police official Sharjeel Kharal told reporters the attackers were killed before entering the building.
Suspicions of India’s involvement as BLA claims responsibility
In a statement, outlawed Baloch militant group the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest in a series targeting security forces and government installations.
The Baloch Liberation Army armed group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement released while the security operation to clear the building was ongoing.
“Majeed brigade of Baloch Liberation Army today has carried out a self-sacrificing attack on Karachi stock exchange,” read the statement, emailed to Al Jazeera.
The southwest province of Balochistan – Pakistan’s largest – has seen a decades-long rebellion by the Baloch ethnic minority for independence.
The separatists, who have fought the state for years in the mineral-rich Balochistan province, in 2018 also took responsibility for an attack on the Chinese Consulate in Karachi.
Taking to the micro-blogging website Twitter, Moeed Yusuf said that the link between India and Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has long been established and the global community must name and shame India for supporting attempts to destabilizing peace in Pakistan and trying to kill innocent civilians.
Read more: Pakistan’s enemy is naked in its aggression, Dr. Moeed Yusuf
Moeed Yusuf also highlighted that the BLA is an internationally known and listed terror outfit and was listed as such by the US state department in the past.
The tweet read: “The int’l community must publicly call out & condemn countries that perpetrate terrorism against Pakistan. There is an established link b/w BLA, an int’l listed terror org, and India, a state led by fascist govt that has again perpetrated terrorism in Pakistan through its proxies.”
The int’l community must publicly call out & condemn countries that perpetrate terrorism against Pakistan. There is an established link b/w BLA, an int’l listed terror org, and India, a state led by fascist govt that has again perpetrated terrorism in Pakistan through its proxies
— Moeed W. Yusuf (@YusufMoeed) June 29, 2020
India recently elected to UNSC; could it be involved in Pakistan stock exchange attack?
Just a few weeks ago, India was one of the four countries given a seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
In the Asia-Pacific region, India — which has been trying unsuccessfully to win a permanent seat in an expanded Security Council — ran unopposed to win 184 votes out of the 192 countries that participated in the election.
Read more: India elected to UNSC along with three others
“India will become member of UNSC at a critical juncture. We are confident that in the Covid and post-Covid world, India will continue to provide leadership and a new orientation for a reformed multilateral system,’’ said India’s Permanent Representative to the UN T S Tirumurti.
India’s election was welcomed by the US State Department, which looked forward to working together on issues of international peace and security, “a natural extension of the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership’’.
The UNSC condemning the attack on Pakistan Stock Exchange is then an interesting turn of events, especially since the BLA, which has claimed responsibility for the attack, is known to be backed by India.
Anadolu with additional input by GVS News Desk
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