By Mir Afroz Zaman
Dhaka, July 17 (UNI) India is the largest contributor of Army personnel in UN peacekeeping mission in Asia, followed by Pakistan and Bangladesh.
According to a non-governmental organisation, India contributes the most number of troops in Asia, with 7,471 personnel stationed worldwide. The country has participated in the most peacekeeping missions than any other nation.
Pakistan is the second highest contributor in Asia with 7,161 troops in UN missions. It was the first country to respond to crisis in Somalia and sent 500 troops to the war-torn country in 1992.
A total of 6,772 Bangladeshis have served in 58 peacekeeping missions across 40 countries, since 1988, an NGO source told UNI.
He said the peacekeeping army is dominated by South Asian troops, which have traditionally been the top providers.
The United Nations does not have an Army, but it has peacekeepers for sustaining peace in conflict-ridden areas. If the peacekeeping force was ranked against the national militaries, it would be the 44th largest Army in the world.
There are a total of over 100,000 UN peacekeeping personnel - consisting of 91,132 troops, 13,563 police and 1,811 military experts from 123 countries.
Indonesia first contributed troops in the 1950s and after a sustained absence, has been once again actively contributing to the UN peace keeping missions.
China's troop contribution has increased over the last many years and it is the 12th largest provider of troops in the world and sixth highest in Asia. Mongolia contributes 950 troops for UN peacekeeping mission.
Malaysia, South Korea and Cambodia individually contribute less than 1,000 troops.
Japan's contribution to peacekeeping has diminished over a period of time. It contributes a handful of personnel for UN missions.
Compared to its neighbours, Sri Lanka remains an outlier in terms of troop contribution to the UN. Bhutan, Australia, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar together contribute just 140 personnel to the peacekeeping missions of the UN.
UNI MAZ RJ 1214