India abstained from voting on a resolution presented against Iran in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Monday. In this resolution presented in the UNHRC, the government has been condemned for human rights abuses against the common people in Iran…… CONTINUE READING
23 countries voted in favor of this proposal and 8 countries voted against it. While 16 countries including India abstained from voting on it. Countries that did not vote included India, Cameroon, Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Zambia, Georgia, Malaysia, Nepal, Qatar, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, UAE and Uzbekistan. Countries that voted against the resolution included Bangladesh, Bolivia, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Vietnam.
This is not the first time that India has refused to vote against Iran. Earlier in December 2022 also, India did not vote on the US resolution against Iran in the UN.
Abstaining from voting against Iran even before
In December 2022, when the US brought a proposal to remove Iran from the UN Women’s Rights Commission for policies against women’s rights. Even at that time, India had distanced itself from the voting process. America had brought this proposal against the government’s repressive action regarding anti-hijab protests in Iran.
Why India does not vote against Iran
One of the major reasons for not voting in any resolution brought against Iran is the geographical location of Iran. India’s strategic importance with Iran’s neighboring countries is an important reason for this.
Iran is situated between the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea. Iran acts like two major trade routes for India. India has to pass through Iran to go to Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Chabahar port, important for India from the point of view of trade, also comes in the territory of Iran. Chabahar port is said to be the key of India’s trade for the Central Asia region. Chabahar is also seen as a counter to Gwadar Port in Pakistan. In such a situation, if relations with Iran sour, then India will have to depend on Pakistan for trade with Central Asian countries. Which is not acceptable to India.
Apart from this, India wants to keep its foreign policy independent by staying away from such voting. India wants its foreign policy to be free from the influence of Global Power. For this purpose, India has abstained from voting on many resolutions brought against Russia as well. India wants the same in the case of Iran.
Refusal to vote against Russia as well
In this session of UNHRC, a resolution was also brought against Russia. In this resolution, Russia has been held responsible for the human rights crisis in Ukraine. India abstained from voting on this proposal as well. 28 countries voted in favor of this proposal. While 17 countries including India distanced themselves from it. Two countries voted against this proposal. China voted against this proposal…… CONTINUE READING
