India was ready for emergency UNSC meet amid tense situation in Afghanistan

India was immediately ready to organize the meetings on Sunday afternoon itself at the security council after Kabul fell into teh hands of the Taliban.

File photo

New Delhi: When Kabul was witnessing chaos with Taliban reaching the gates of the city, penholders Estonia and Norway had reached out to India for an urgent meeting on Afghanistan. 

At the request of ‘penholders’, it is reported that India was immediately ready to organize the meetings on Sunday afternoon itself at the security council. 

Estonian mission to the United Nations even tweeted that they have requested for a "council meeting on Afghanistan as soon as possible a call for the violence to stop & parties to negotiate peacefully."

JUST NOW! #EstoniaUNSC & @NorwayUN as penholders of the #Afghanistan file in the #UNSC have requested for a Council meeting on  as soon as possible!

Call for the violence to stop & parties to negotiate peacefully. pic.twitter.com/jaEYP5H9aB — Estonia in UN  (@EstoniaUN) August 15, 2021

After much consultations, a broad consensus at UNSC was achieved to have this meeting at 10 am EST (7.30 am IST) on Monday. 

India is the president of UNSC for the month of August and as the president takes crucial decisions on key meetings and agenda at the high table. 

For any meeting to take place, India has to receive a request and a consensus needs to be formed.

CONFIRMED #UNSC will meet on MONDAY at 10 AM to discuss the situation in #Afghanistan @UN SG @antonioguterres will brief the Council.@NorwayUN #EstoniaUNSC pic.twitter.com/Bio2vmdbpt — Estonia in UN  (@EstoniaUN) August 15, 2021

Monday's meeting will be the 2nd meeting on Afghanistan taking place under India's Presidency of UNSC this month. UN Secretary-General is expected to participate in this meeting. 

The meeting on the 6th of August was chaired by the Indian envoy to the United Nations TS Tirumurti. 

The development came after the then Afghan Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar called India's external affairs minister Dr. Jaishankar for the meeting.