During the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit-Ministerial Meeting in Uganda, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, the Minister of State holding dual charges in the education and external affairs ministries in India, raised concerns about Pakistan's misuse of the NAM platform for false and malicious propaganda against India. Uganda currently holds the NAM presidency for the period of 2024-27.
Singh, in a strongly-worded speech, expressed India's focus on strengthening NAM collectively but highlighted the unfortunate misuse of the platform by Pakistan. He emphasized that any interference in India's internal affairs is unacceptable, and such false propaganda is rejected outright.
Drawing attention to Africa's growing influence on the global stage, Singh commended Uganda for captaining both the G-77 and NAM, following the African Union's successful induction into the G20 during India's Presidency. He described this as a clear reflection of the continent's collective strength, proclaiming it as Africa's moment.
As a founding member of NAM, India remains invested in the movement and hopes that it continues to voice the hopes and aspirations of young people. Singh referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on the interconnected and interdependent nature of the world in the era of multilateralism. He stressed the importance of defending and nurturing NAM's tradition of independence to set its own agenda.
Singh praised Uganda's focus on key issues relevant to the Global South, including development, human trafficking, drug smuggling, and broader matters of peace and security. He urged the member nations to uphold NAM's role as one of the world's largest multilateral forums, mobilizing support for the Global South and shaping its own agenda.
(With Agency Inputs)
