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'Mumbai blasts perpetrators enjoying 5-star hospitality': Jaishankar slams Pak at UNSC

Calling out Pakistan for its support for terrorism, Jaishankar asserted that the international community must not allow terrorism to be justified.

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S Jaishankar. (Image: Reuters)
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Calling out Pakistan for its support for terrorism and China for providing terrorists cover against sanctions, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asserted that the international community must not allow terrorism to be justified and terrorists glorified.

Jaishankar did not name Pakistan or China, but he made the references to the countries contextually clear.

"We, in India, have seen the crime syndicate responsible for the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts not just given state protection but enjoying 5-star hospitality," he said in one such reference that pointed to Pakistan hosting Dawood Ibrahim, the crime boss behind the attack that killed 257 people.

In August last year, Pakistan had for the first time acknowledged the presence of Ibrahim on its soil after the government imposed sweeping sanctions on 88 banned terror groups and their leaders which also included the name of the underworld don wanted by India.

He criticised the double standards advocated by Pakistan and some others and said, "Terrorists are terrorists; there are no good and bad ones. Those who propagate this distinction have an agenda. And those who cover up for them are just as culpable."

As for China, he referred to "the practice of placing blocks and holds on listing requests without any rhyme or reasons which, he said, "must end because this only erodes our collective credibility."

Beijing blocked for a decade the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist by a Council sanctions committee. He was behind several terrorist attacks on India.

Before India succeeded in its nearly 10-year long efforts to have Azhar designated as a global terrorist at the UN last year, China, Pakistan's all-weather ally, had repeatedly blocked New Delhi's attempts to list him under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UNSC.

Jaishankar was speaking at the UNSC Ministerial Meeting on 'Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts: International cooperation in combating terrorism 20 years after the adoption of resolution 1373 (2001),' the first address by Jaishankar to the Security Council after India began its two-year tenure on the 15-nation body this month.

The meeting was convened by Tunisia, which holds the Council's rotating presidency this month, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the landmark anti-terrorism resolution adopted following the 9/11 attacks on the US.

UNSC Resolution 1373, adopted in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks, is a reminder that terrorism continues to be the gravest threat to mankind.

"It not only grievously impacts human life but uproots the very foundation of humanity," Jaishankar said, adding that India has always been at the forefront of global counter-terrorism efforts.

Jaishankar proposed an eight-point Action Plan for the UN system to credibly address the menace of terrorism and ensure effective action. He asserted that linkages between terrorism and transnational organised crime must be fully recognised and addressed vigorously.

While calling for depoliticisation of the listing of individuals and groups as terrorists for imposing sanctions, Jaishankar also said, "Proposals in this regard merit due examination before circulation."

Last year, Pakistan had made attempts to get four Indian nationals listed as terrorists under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UNSC. Pakistan's attempt was thwarted as the US, the UK, France, Germany and Belgium blocked the move in the Council as no evidence was given by Islamabad.

His eight-point plan starts off with a call for an unconditional commitment by all countries to combat terrorism.

Jaishankar suggested that the UN increase cooperation with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which should continue to identify and fix weaknesses in anti-money laundering and counter-terror financing mechanisms, he said.

He said that the UN and countries should act against "exclusivist thinking that divides the world and harms our social fabric" that fuel communal hatred and lead to radicalisation.

"The Council should be on guard against new terminologies and misleading priorities that can dilute our focus," he said.

(With agency inputs)

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