Shouldering Arms
India has taken it as its responsibility to bring the Voice of the Global South (henceforth VoGS) to the world stage, our government declared this month. As one newspaper headline put it: “Time to Make Presence Felt, India Voice for Global South: S Jaishankar ahead of G7”. Incidentally, for the last three years, India has been hosting the Voice of the Global South Summit, which the government has shortened to VOGSS.
The immediate provocation for announcing our responsibility was linked to our arrival at the G7, where India is not a member but designated, along with others like Mexico, Brazil, Comoros and the Cook Islands, as observers, meaning spectators. There is no real role, though sometimes hugging and giggling is apparently permitted.
The actual players in G7 — America, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan — put out a statement condemning Iran for being attacked by Israel. Referring to the bombing campaign in Tehran and elsewhere, which murdered civilians including scientists, the G7 “affirmed that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel” and that “Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror.”
VoGS had no opinion on this, though our Prime Minister observed the summit and it was time to make our presence felt, because VoGS was kept on mute. It is unclear why we attend gatherings where we have no say but the mighty have their reasons. It was time to make our presence felt elsewhere.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, where VoGS is a member and actually has a say, also put out a statement on the same subject. SCO has nine players: China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Their citizens represent some 42 per cent of all human beings, a majority of the global south. The SCO charter says its duty is “to promote a new democratic, fair and rational international political and economic international order.” Meaning it will stand for the rights of the weaker and poorer nations.
The SCO statement said they “strongly condemn the military strikes carried out by Israel” and that “such aggressive actions against civilian targets, including energy and transport infrastructure, which have resulted in civilian casualties, are a gross violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.”
All of this is unquestionably true.
India put out a counter-statement the same day, distancing itself from these words and clarified that “India did not participate in the discussions on the above-mentioned SCO statement.” Why we run away from discussions which we can influence as participants and instead attend those where we are spectators was not made clear. VoGS works in mysterious ways its wonders to perform, as Wodehouse might have explained.
Another newspaper headline from that same day, 14 June, reads: “India abstains, 149 nations back UN resolution for Gaza ceasefire”. The resolution condemned “the use of starvation and the denial of aid as tactics of war” and demanded a lifting of the blockade by Israel. All South Asian nations voted for it except VoGS.
In cricket, the gesture of making much of not doing anything is called “shouldering arms.”
The reason given reads: “India’s abstention was in the belief that there is no other way to resolve conflicts, but through dialogue and diplomacy,” and that “our joint effort should be directed towards bringing the two sides closer.” Yes, we should bring those who are bombing and those being bombed closer.
The Ministry of External Affairs website tells us that on 14 August 2024, India hosted its 3rd Voice of Global South Summit. It says: “This unique initiative began as an extension of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas aur Sabra Prayas’, and is underpinned by India’s philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. It envisages bringing together countries of the Global South to share their perspectives and priorities on a common platform across a whole range of issues.”
On 8 May, in a case relating to the living conditions and deportations of Rohingya refugees, the same Indian government told the Supreme Court that it neither recognizes the UNHCR-issued refugee cards nor the Rohingyas as refugees since India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and therefore does not extend any refugee protections. Apparently VoGS and its bombast about a global family comes with several hidden terms and conditions attached.
It need hardly be said that India’s non-ratification of the UN Refugee Convention cannot be an excuse to force people to conditions of danger, persecution and statelessness. And India is still required under the principle of ‘non-refoulement’ in customary international law to refrain from forcing back people to places where they would be at real risk of being subjected to serious human rights violations and abuses. This is additionally a specific legal obligation under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which India is a party. But what is stopping us from making grand speeches about the Global South and shared humanity while acting in obviously contrary ways? There is nothing, and so this charade will carry on.
By Aakar Patel
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