UN Approves Resolution on Conventional Arms Control Despite Indian and Israeli Opposition

This week, both India and Israel opposed the resolution, but those concerned outrightly rejected any diplomatic rapprochement between the two countries. They said that calling this uniform voting a "joint stance" reflected a "profound lack of understanding of the matter." They said that the notion of "conventional balance" in South Asia was not acceptable to New Delhi. They cited the Disarmament Commission's guidelines on regional disarmament (1993), conventional arms control (1999), and conventional confidence-building measures (2017) in this context. The resolution, jointly introduced by Pakistan and Belarus, was titled "General and Complete Disarmament: Conventional Arms Control at Regional and Sub-Regional Levels." It was approved by the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, with 180 votes in favour, two against, and no abstentions. Those with knowledge of the matter also said that New Delhi had not aligned its national interests with any of its concerns on the matter.