United Nations: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Maj Gen Ramon Guardado Sanchez of Mexico as head of the UN Observer Group in India and Pakistan.
Major General Guardado succeeds Rear Admiral Guillermo Ríos of Argentina as Head of Mission and Chief Military Observer for the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), said a statement issued here on Wednesday.
Sánchez has had a long and distinguished career in the Mexican Army, currently serving as Commissioner of the National Guard in Yucatán.
As of August 2024, UNMOGIP has a strength of 110, including 66 civilians and 44 Experts on Mission.
UNMOGIP was established in January 1949. Following the India-Pakistan war in 1971 and a subsequent ceasefire agreement of December 17 of that year, the tasks of UNMOGIP have been to observe, to the extent possible, developments pertaining to the strict observance of the ceasefire of December 17, 1971 and to report thereon to the UN chief.
India has maintained that UNMOGIP has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control (LoC).
