Need to hold masterminds behind terror plots accountable for their deeds: India at UN

United Nations: The world needs to hold masterminds behind terrorist plots accountable for their deeds and “call their bluff”, India said on Monday at the UN, asserting that it is “equally important” that they are not allowed to mislead the international community by painting themselves as victims of terrorism.

Delivering India’s national statement at the open briefing on the work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) with the Member States of South and South-East Asia, Counsellor in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN Rajesh Parihar said that the world had witnessed the horrors of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, the 2016 Pathankot terror attack, and the 2019 Pulwama terrorist attack.

”It is equally important to call out the masterminds behind these terrorist plots and not let them mislead the international community by painting themselves as victims of terrorism. We need to call their bluff and hold them accountable for their deeds,” he said.

”We all know from where the perpetrators of these attacks came from. It is regretful that the victims of these dastardly attacks are yet to get justice, and the perpetrators, facilitators and financiers of these attacks continue to walk free, still enjoying State support and hospitality,” he said, making a reference to Pakistan.

He added that in South Asia, under the Taliban, Afghanistan once again is at the risk of becoming a safe haven for Al-Qaida, ISIL and a number of other UN-designated terrorist groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohamed.

He noted that the 2021 report of the Taliban Sanctions Committee and other reports have recognised the continuation of links between the Taliban, especially through the Haqqani Network, Al Qaida and other terrorist groups in our neighbourhood.

He told the briefing that the collective approach and expectations of the international community to the situation in Afghanistan has been outlined in UN Security Council resolution 2593, which was adopted under India’s Presidency of the Security Council in August 2021 and which unequivocally demands that Afghan territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts.

Parihar reiterated that terrorism is the most serious threat to mankind today and combating terrorism should be at the heart of any discussion on the global common agenda for the future. As UNSC Resolution 1566 notes, terrorism grossly impairs the enjoyment of human rights and threatens the social and economic development of all countries and regions.

He voiced India’s full commitment to strengthening multilateral counter-terrorism response under the aegis of the UN.