In an ironical turn of events, IFS officer Priyanka Sohoni faced ‘mic glitch’ while speaking against China at the China-hosted UN meet. The Indian diplomat was an invitee and speaker at the United Nation’s Sustainable Transport Conference. The 32-year-old IFS officer was reiterating India’s position to the highly controversial BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) project and was objecting to the project.
The technical failure has led to wide-spread rumours with media reports claiming that sources are refusing the glitch as the failure of mic at the China-hosted conference.
Background
In the recent years, Indian delegate of diplomats have garnered a reputation of giving fiery responses and reinstating India’s position on matters such as security, infrastructure and economy.
Earlier this year, IFS officer Sneha Dubey exercised her ‘Right of Reply’ to give Pakistan a befitting reply in issues such as terrorism at the UN General Assembly (UNGA). In her response, she claimed that Pakistan was an “arsonist disguising itself as a firefighter”.
Before Sneha, Vidisha Maitra spoke at the UNGA in 2019 and remained largely critical of Pakistan PM Imran Khan for defending Osama Bin Laden. In 2017, Paulomi Tripathi gave reply to Pakistan representative and slammed her for spreading fake news.
Recently, another diplomat has made the news for objecting to China’s strategies at a UN meet hosted in China, only this time, her mic was cut off due to ‘technical glitch’’.
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The Facts of the Matter
Continuing on its categorical opposition on China’s BRI and its project CPEC, India once again objected to the strategy at the UN Sustainable Transport Conference hosted in China. Interestingly, IFS officer Priyanka Sohoni was to speak on India’s position, however, her mic was cut off due to ‘ technical glitch’.
The Indian diplomat was asked to continue by UN Under-Secretary-General, Liu Zhenmin. Claiming that the conference was experiencing “technical problems’, Mr. Liu apologized to the delegates and asked Sohoni to resume.
After Sohoni’s mic was restored, Mr. Liu said, “You are lucky..You are back and welcome back.” Soon, the Indian diplomat took control of the situation and continued on.
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What is BRI and Why is India Opposing the BRI’s Flagship Project?
For the unversed the BRI (Belt Road Initiative) as China’s multi-billion-dollar initiative for global infrastructure development. The BRI is considered as one of the centerpieces of the Chinese government, aimed to increase its influence over Central Asia, Gulf, Africa and Europe with its web of land and sea routes.
In the Belt Road Initiative, the CPEC (China–Pakistan Economic Corridor) is a $62 billion flagship project which aims to connect Pakistan and China.
India’s objection to China’s CPEC project comes because some of the infrastructural plans involved it being made on PoK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir). While China claims that the initiative is an economic one, India has categorically said that it challenges the country’s sovereignty.
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What Did IFS Officer Priyanka Sohoni Say on the BRI?
In her response, the Indian diplomat was quoted saying, “No country can support an initiative that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity. This aside there are also larger issues regarding how connectivity initiatives should be pursued. We are of the firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms.”
She further added that countries must follow development on the principles of “openness, transparency and financial responsibility.”
Who is IFS Officer Priyanka Sohoni?
Born on October 16, 1987, the IFS officer cleared her UPSC exam by securing 26th rank. She was inducted in the IFS 2012 batch where she was awarded the best trainee officer gold medal. The achievement is all the more special as it has only been awarded to 15 officers since 2004.
After her training, she started serving at the Indian embassy in China.
