External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, addressing the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, spoke on the issue of Afghanistan’s takeover by the Taliban, and the scourge of terrorism upon the world.
Jaishankar, in a veiled criticism of Pakistan, said whether it was in Afghanistan or against India, groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed continue to operate with both impunity and encouragement.
“In our own immediate neighborhood, ISIL-Khorasan (ISIL-K) has become more energetic and is constantly seeking to expand its footprint. Events unfolding in Afghanistan have naturally enhanced global concerns about their implications for both regional and international security,” he said.
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Jaishankar added that the heightened activities of the proscribed Haqqani Network justified this “growing anxiety”.
The EAM called for the Council to not take a selective, tactical or complacent view of the problems faced. “We must never countenance sanctuaries for terrorists or overlook their raising of resources,” he said.
Jaishankar pointed out to “state hospitality” being extended to those with innocents’ blood on their hands, adding that none should lack the courage to call out their “double-speak”. “Let us always remember that what is true of Covid is even more true of terrorism: none of us are safe until all of us are safe,” he said.
The External Affairs Minister said in his speech that next month, it also will be 20 years since the horrific 9/11 tragedy in New York. “We, in India, have had more than our fair share of challenges and casualties. The 2008 Mumbai terror attack is imprinted in our memories,” he said.
“The 2016 Pathankot air base attack and the 2019 suicide bombing of our policemen at Pulwama are even more recent. Let me, therefore, express my solidarity with victims and their families all over the world who have suffered, and continue to suffer, from the scourge of terrorism. We must never compromise with this evil,” he said.
Jaishankar said the international community holds a collective view that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations must be condemned. He added that there cannot be any exception or justification for any act of terrorism, regardless of motivations behind such acts.
“We also recognize that the menace of terrorism cannot be and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group. However, in spite of the progress we have made to tighten the legal, security, financing and other frameworks to combat terrorism, terrorists are constantly finding newer ways of motivating, resourcing and executing acts of terror,” he said.
In a pointed reference to Pakistan, the EAM said “there are also some countries who seek to undermine or subvert our collective resolve to fight terrorism. This cannot be allowed to pass.”
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