Editor's Pick: India abstains on Ukraine again

India on Friday abstained on a vote at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva as the Council decided to set up an international commission of enquiry into Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The resolution, the most stringent one to be adopted by the UN system yet, “strongly condemned” aggression by Russia, and said it was “gravely concerned” about reports of rights violations by Russian forces, civilian casualties and the forced displacement of 6,60,000 refugees due to Russian “bombing and shelling” in populated areas. India was among 13 countries of the 47-member Council elected from UN members that abstained from the resolution, along with China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Sudan, Uzbekistan and Venezuela. Significantly, the vote followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance at a meeting of Quad leaders hosted by U.S. President Joseph Biden, as well as a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing where senior officials made it clear that the U.S. has “spared no effort” to push India to change its position, with little success. The Modi government has decided to abstain from three votes at the UN Security Council, two at the UN General Assembly in New York, two at the Human Rights Council in Geneva and one at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. The IAEA vote is significant as it is related to safety at four nuclear power stations and a number of nuclear waste sites including Chernobyl, as the Russians seized control of them. Meanwhile, India has urged both Russia and Ukraine to ensure “at least a local ceasefire” so that it could evacuate its nationals stranded in conflict-torn eastern Ukrainian zones of Kharkiv and Sumy. A Ministry of External Affairs official admitted it is “difficult” for Indian students to traverse through live conflict locations. “We do not want our students to pass through areas where they would be exposed to risks,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. The Indian push for a halt for hostilities came as New Delhi continues to make efforts to evacuate nationals from Kharkiv and Sumy where at least 1,000 students continue to remain amid a fast-deteriorating military situation. Russian forces have seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the largest in Europe. A building at the plant was set ablaze in the fighting, triggering fears of a nuclear disaster, before authorities said the fire had been doused. An editorial in The Hindu contended that while evacuating Indians is an important priority, it cannot be India’s only focus in this crisis, given its aspirations for global leadership. As the conflict in Europe becomes a global concern, India’s role is also in the spotlight, and so this story is an important one. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor‘s Pick and more. Click here The Hindu’s Editorials Being ready: On vaccination and India’s third COVID-19 wave Capital verdict: On A.P. High Court judgment on Amaravati The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Which countries are members of the QUAD group? India, US, Australia and Japan India, China, Australia and Japan India, US, France and Japan US, Germany, France, UK To find out the answer and play the full quiz, click here [logo] Editor's Pick 05 MARCH 2022 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( India abstains on Ukraine again India on Friday [abstained on a vote at the UN Human Rights Council]( Geneva as the Council decided to set up an international commission of enquiry into Russia’s actions in Ukraine . The resolution, the most stringent one to be adopted by the UN system yet, “strongly condemned” aggression by Russia, and said it was “gravely concerned” about reports of rights violations by Russian forces, civilian casualties and the forced displacement of 6,60,000 refugees due to Russian “bombing and shelling” in populated areas. India was among 13 countries of the 47-member Council elected from UN members that abstained from the resolution, along with China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Sudan, Uzbekistan and Venezuela. Significantly, the vote followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance at a meeting of Quad leaders hosted by U.S. President Joseph Biden, as well as a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing where senior officials made it clear that the U.S. has “spared no effort” to push India to change its position, with little success. The Modi government has decided to abstain from three votes at the UN Security Council, two at the UN General Assembly in New York, two at the Human Rights Council in Geneva and one at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. The IAEA vote is significant as it is related to safety at four nuclear power stations and a number of nuclear waste sites including Chernobyl, as the Russians seized control of them.   Meanwhile, India has urged both Russia and Ukraine to [ensure “at least a local ceasefire”]( so that it could evacuate its nationals stranded in conflict-torn eastern Ukrainian zones of Kharkiv and Sumy. A Ministry of External Affairs official admitted it is “difficult” for Indian students to traverse through live conflict locations. “We do not want our students to pass through areas where they would be exposed to risks,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. The Indian push for a halt for hostilities came as New Delhi continues to make efforts to evacuate nationals from Kharkiv and Sumy where at least 1,000 students continue to remain amid a fast-deteriorating military situation. [Russian forces have seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant]( in Ukraine, the largest in Europe. A building at the plant was set ablaze in the fighting, triggering fears of a nuclear disaster, before authorities said the fire had been doused. An [editorial]( The Hindu contended that while evacuating Indians is an important priority, it cannot be India’s only focus in this crisis, given its aspirations for global leadership. As the conflict in Europe becomes a global concern, India’s role is also in the spotlight, and so this story is an important one. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor‘s Pick and more.  [Click here]( The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Being ready: On vaccination and India’s third COVID-19 wave]( [Arrow][Capital verdict: On A.P. High Court judgment on AmaravatiÂ]( The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Which countries are members of the QUAD group? - India, US, Australia and Japan - India, China, Australia and Japan - India, US, France and Japan - US, Germany, France, UK To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here]( Today’s Best Reads [[Shane Warne | A life in pictures] Shane Warne | A life in pictures]( [[Worldview with Suhasini Haidar | How important are evacuations in Ukraine to Indian foreign policy?] Worldview with Suhasini Haidar | How important are evacuations in Ukraine to Indian foreign policy?]( [[Is Telugu cinema set for a change of scene?] Is Telugu cinema set for a change of scene?]( [[Who is Anna Sorokin, the subject of the new Netflix series ‘Inventing Anna’?] Who is Anna Sorokin, the subject of the new Netflix series ‘Inventing Anna’?]( Copyright @ 2022, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](