(a) whether the Chief Military Observer of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan has made certain remarks in respect of Jammu and Kashmir;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the reaction of the Government thereto?
(a) whether the Chief Military Observer of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan has made certain remarks in respect of Jammu and Kashmir;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the reaction of the Government thereto?
THE MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI JASWANT SINGH)
(a) & (b) Yes, Sir. On October 29, 2001, at a press briefing in Srinagar, the Chief Military Observer (CMO) of the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), Major General Hermann Loidolt, made certain remarks of a political nature on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
(c) The Government felt that these remarks were uncalled for and took up the matter with the UN. The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, under whose jurisdiction the UNMOGIP operates, disavowed the remarks made by the CMO and conveyed apologies on behalf of the UN Secretary General. Subsequently, on November 1, the Deputy Spokesman of the UN Secretary General, in response to a question from the press, said that CMOs were not allowed to make political comments without clearance from Headquarters; the General had been reminded about the extent of his competence; and that his statement did not reflect the views of the Secretary General. The CMO was summoned by the Government and was told in clear terms that his remarks were completely unwarranted and unacceptable. The CMO, in a letter addressed to the Director General of Military Operations, Army Headquarters, Government of India, conveyed apologies for his misbehaviour.