At UNSC, EAM S Jaishankar highlights Haqqani network, LeT, JeM's activities in Afghanistan

Jaishankar was chairing a meeting on “threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts" at the UN body.

File Photo

New Delhi:  India's External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar highlighted the growing activity of Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in Afghanistan, urging the United Nations Security Council “to not take a selective, tactical or complacent view of the problems we face”.

Speaking at the UNSC meeting on terrorism, EAM said, “In our own immediate neighborhood, ISIL-Khorasan (ISIL-K) has become more powerful 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 explained, “The heightened activities of the proscribed Haqqani Network justify this growing anxiety. Whether it is in Afghanistan or against India, groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed continue to operate with both impunity and encouragement.”

He was chairing a meeting on “threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts" at the UN body. India is the President of the Security Council for August and the meeting was the third important signature event of the month, after meeting on maritime security, UN peacekeeping.

At the meet, EAM said, “We must never countenance sanctuaries for terrorists or overlook their raising of resources” and without taking Pakistan's name said, when "we see state hospitality being extended to those with innocents blood on their hands, we should never lack the courage to call out their double-speak.”

Pakistan had gone to UNSC to get approval for "basic expense" for Lakshar-e-Taiba's leader Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and Mahmood Sultan Bashiruddin, a Pakistani nuclear engineer both of whom have been listed as international terrorists by the UN.

Drawing parallels with the COVID crisis, Jaishankar said, "'None of us are safe until all of us are safe’ also holds true for terror.”

Coming Saturday will see the fourth International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.

During the meet, EAM also paid homage to the victims of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, 2019 Pulwama terror attack at the high table.

Earlier this year, EAM had addressed the UNSC meet and proposed an eight-point action plan to deal with the issue of terrorism, including the summoning of political will to deal with the scourge, no justification of terror, no double standards on dealing with the issue, and no blockade on the listing of terrorists.