Has been rented out free for 40 years.
By The American Bazaar Staff
NEW DELHI: The Indian government has formally requested the United Nations’ Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to vacate a government-provided bungalow that it currently occupies in New Delhi.
The news is the first sign of India’s new BJP and Narendra Modi-led government attempting to assert their power and strong-arm the UN. The house that the UNMOGIP currently occupies is located in the heart of the Indian capital city, and is provided for the UN peacekeeping mission rent-free, with the Ministry of External Affairs paying the rent for it.
The UNMOGIP has occupied that bungalow for nearly 40 years, as part of an agreement between the UN and India that saw the latter allow the former to occupy the building on a supposedly temporary basis, as the UN found or built a new, permanent facility for the UNMOGIP. That never happened, and now India wants the property back.
What’s more, the Indian government allegedly sees “no relevance” in the UNMOGIP presence in the first place. According to The Indian Express, the Modi government’s communiqué to the UN states that role of the UNMOGIP has now been assumed by the Simla Agreement, which helps establish peace and order on the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan, thus making the UN mission obsolete.
When asked about the move to rusticate the UN from India’s capital, the worldwide peacekeeping body made vague statements, confirming that they were asked to leave without citing specific reasons, giving a timeline as to when the UN must leave by, and what India thinks of long-term UN presence in the country.
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That’s the Modi style of handeling serious issues