JOIN USIndia hits out at Pakistan, China on terrorism at UN Security Council
India on Tuesday not only lambasted Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council for aiding and supporting terror but also not-so-subtly hit out at China for trying to block moves to impose international sanctions on terrorists and terrorist organisations.
“Some States lack the legal and operational frameworks and technical expertise needed to detect, investigate, and prosecute terrorist financing cases. However, there are also other States that are clearly guilty of aiding and supporting terrorism, and wilfully provide financial assistance and safe havens,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), participating in an open debate on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts. “While we must enhance capacities of the former, the international community must collectively call out the latter and hold them accountable.”
This is the first time the External Affairs Minister addressed the UNSC after India started its eighth term as a non-permanent member of the most powerful organ of the international organisation. He was apparently referring to Pakistan’s support to cross-border terror targeting India.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) – an intergovernmental organisation – in 2018 put Pakistan in its “grey-list” – officially a list of “jurisdictions with strategic deficiencies in its legal regime to check money laundering and terrorist financing”. The Government of Pakistan and the FATF by June 2018 agreed on an action to plug the loopholes. Imran Khan’s government in Islamabad, however, repeatedly failed to meet the deadlines set by the FATF. Another round of review of the progress made by the Government of Pakistan in plugging the loopholes in its measures to stop money laundering and flow of funds to the terrorists and the terrorist outfits would be on the agenda of the plenary of the intergovernmental organization next month.
Jaishankar on Tuesday also indirectly targeted China, which in the past few years blocked several initiatives by India to bring terrorists and terrorist organisations based in Pakistan under the UNSC sanctions. “We must reform the working methods of the committees dealing with sanctions and counter-terrorism. Transparency, accountability and effectiveness are the need of the day,” he said. “The practice of placing blocks and holds on listing requests without any rhyme or reason must end. This only erodes our collective credibility.”
The External Affairs Minister suggested an eight-point action plan for the UN system to adopt in order to credibly address the menace of terrorism and ensure effective action.
“In recent years, terrorist groups and lone-wolf attackers have significantly enhanced their capabilities by gaining access to new and emerging technologies, including drones, virtual currencies and encrypted communications,” Jaishankar told the UNSC. “Social media networks have contributed to the radicalization and recruitment of youth. The Covid-19 pandemic has only aggravated the situation further. The relative isolation and extended disruption due to the lockdowns and the associated distress and economic uncertainty has made the world more susceptible to radicalizing narratives and extremist propaganda.”