New Delhi: Foreign minister S Jaishankar detailed India’s concerns about terror for the first time since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Addressing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the events in Afghanistan “have naturally enhanced global concerns about their implications for both regional and international security”.
“The heightened activities of the proscribed Haqqani network justifies this growing anxiety. Whether it is in Afghanistan or against India, groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed continue to operate with both impunity and encouragement,” Jaishankar said at a high-level UNSC briefing on ‘Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts’. India holds the current presidency of the UNSC.
“In our own immediate neighbourhood, 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 during a briefing on ‘Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts”.
“Summon the political will: don’t justify terrorism, don’t glorify terrorists, no double standards. Terrorists are terrorists, distinctions are made only at our own peril. Don’t place blocks and holds on listing requests without any reason,” he said.
This was in reference to China repeatedly placing technical holds on bids by India and other nations to designate Masood Azhar, head of the Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed, as a global terrorist.
“What is true of Covid is true of terrorism. No one is safe until all of us are safe… (But) Some countries undermine our collective resolve,” added the minister. Then in what appeared a dig at China, he continued, “When we see state hospitality being extended to those with blood on their hands, we must call out the doublespeak”.
On Wednesday, asked how India views and deals with the Taliban leadership, Jaishankar, without offering a direct comment, said it is still “early days”.
Asked if India has had any communication with Taliban recently, he said, “At this point of time, we are looking at the evolving situation in Kabul… as Taliban and its representatives have come to Kabul and I think we need to take it from there”.
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