India at UN says threats of terrorism in its neighbourhood exacerbated by changed political situation in Afghanistan

New York [US], February 9 : India at the UN said that it has been highlighting consistently the threats of terrorism in its neighbourhood and noted that these security fears have been further exacerbated by the changed political situation in Afghanistan, highlighting the concerns posed by the Haqqani Network which has worked closely with Al-Qaeda and ISIL-K.
"We have been highlighting consistently the threat of terrorism in our neighborhood. These security fears have been further exacerbated by the changed political situation in Afghanistan. The report of the monitoring team is concerning as it highlights that Afghanistan has the potential to become a safe haven for Al-Qaeda and a number of terror groups," said India's Permanent Representative to the UN on Wednesday (local time) during the UNSC Briefing on 'Threat to International Peace & Security Caused by Terrorist Acts'.
"The 14th report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by ISIL (Da'esh) to international peace and security report also highlights near doubling of the strength of ISIL-Khorasan, following the Taliban's release of several thousand individuals from prisons. In his 12th report, SG had highlighted that Shahab al-Muhajir, the leader of ISIL-K as has maintained familial ties to the proscribed Haqqani Network as well. The report of the Taliban Sanctions Committee recognizes the continuation of links between the Taliban, especially through the Haqqani Network, and Al Qaida and other terrorist groups in our neighbourhood," said the representative.
He also said that it is essential to not lose sight of the ease with which the proscribed Haqqani Network, with support from their patron state, have worked along with prominent terrorist organizations like Al-Qaida, ISIL-K, etc.
"We have been reiterating the close links between proscribed terrorist entities under the 1267 Sanctions regime such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and other terror groups including the Jaish-e-Mohammad. However, in spite of repeatedly flagging these concerns, the SG's report has failed to take notice of these linkages. We hope that in future iterations of such reports, inputs from all member states would be treated on an equal footing and an evidence-based and credible yardstick be applied by its authors," said Tirumurti.
Stressing that the signs of re-emergence of ISIL/Daesh in Syria and in Iraq call for urgent action by the international community, Tirumurti said that New Delhi reiterates that terrorists can neither be defeated by forming alliances with non-sovereign entities nor while pursuing narrow political agendas.
"Today, the terrorists' use of ICT, social media, emerging technologies such as new digital payment methods, encrypted messaging services, cryptocurrencies, crowdfunding platforms, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, etc pose a dynamic threat for which most of the member states do not have adequate response capabilities," said Tirumurti.
He highlighted that the global expert bodies such as Financial Action Task Force have been raising serious concerns about terrorist financing. "We have recently witnessed terror attacks through drones in our neighbourhood and now in UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been condemned strongly by the Security Council. The recent Council resolution 2617 takes note of this threat posed by Unmanned Aircraft Systems. We need to work together to develop appropriate solutions and evolve global standards to address these threats."
The representative also reiterated India's External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar's 8-point action plan in this Council: "Summon the political will: Don't justify terrorism. Don't glorify terrorists.No double standards. Terrorists are terrorists. The no good or bad distinction to be m Don't place blocks and holds on listing requests without reason. Discourage exclusivist thinking - against false priorities. Enlist and delist objectively, not on political or religious considerations. Recognise the linkage to organised crime. Support and strengthen FATF. Provide greater funding to UN Counter-Terrorism."