Contemporary epicentre of terrorism very much alive: S Jaishankar tears apart Pakistan at UNSC

EAM S Jaishankar said the suggestion that countries who are apparently capable on everything else but are only helpless when it comes to terrorism is ludicrous.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today tore apart Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). In an apparent reference to Pakistan, Jaishankar said that the contemporary epicentre of terrorism remains very much alive and active in South Asia. Jaishankar said that terrorism is an existential threat to international peace and security and it knows no borders, nationality, or race.

"We have seen the expansion of Al-Qaida, Da’esh, Boko Haram and Al Shabab and their affiliates. At the other end of the spectrum are ‘lone wolf’ attacks inspired by online radicalization and biases....But somewhere in all this, we cannot forget that their old habits and established networks are still alive, especially in South Asia. The contemporary epicentre of terrorism remains very much alive and active, whatever gloss may be applied to minimize unpleasant realities," said Jaishnkar.

The minister said that the threat of terrorism has actually become even more serious today and said that the world cannot let another '9/11 of New York' or '26/11 of Mumbai' happen again. Jaishankar said that no individual state should endeavour to seek political gain from terrorism and no country should ever put up with such calculations. "When it comes to tackling terrorism, we must overcome our political differences and manifest a zero-tolerance approach," he said.

Jaishankar said that one of the challenges for the world is 'how do we deal with double standards, both inside and outside this Council'. "For too long, some have persisted with the approach that terrorism is just another instrument or stratagem. Those invested in terrorism have used such cynicism to carry on," he said.

The EAM said the suggestion that countries who are apparently capable on everything else but are only helpless when it comes to terrorism is ludicrous. He said that accountability must therefore be the bedrock of counter-terrorism.

"Uniform criteria are not applied to sanctioning and prosecuting terrorists. It would seem sometimes that the ownership of terrorism is more important than its actual perpetration or its consequences," he said.

"The working methods of relevant mechanisms is also a subject of legitimate concern and debate. At one level, we have seen protections that come close to justification. Then, there are evidence-backed proposals that are put on hold without assigning an adequate reason. Conversely, there has even been recourse to anonymity so as to avoid taking ownership of untenable cases," he added.

His remarks were a strong reference to repeated holds and blocks on proposals by India to blacklist terrorists based on Pakistani soil, in the UN Security Council's sanctions committee by veto-wielding permanent member China.