UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council shouldn't be misused by countries with "retaliatory intent to call innocent civilians as terrorist" without credible evidence by invoking non-transparent working methods and procedures, India has said, pertaining to Pakistan's failed plan to get four Indian nationals listed under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee.
Pakistan had submitted the names of Indian nationals Angara Appaji, Gobinda Patnaik, Ajoy Mistry and Venumadhav Dongara for designation under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council .
However, Pakistan's attempt was thwarted last month after the US, the UK, France, Germany and Belgium blocked the move within the Council to list Appaji and Patnaik. consistent with sources, no evidence was given by Pakistan in its case to urge the individuals listed. Similarly, an earlier attempt by Pakistan to list Mistry and Dongara was blocked by the Council around June/July.
"We believe that UN Security Council continues to be an efficient forum for the upkeep of international peace and security and combating terrorism."
However, it should even be ensured that the forum isn't misused by countries with retaliatory intent to call innocent civilians as terrorist without credible evidence by invoking non-transparent working methods and procedures,” First Secretary and Legal Adviser in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Yedla Umasankar said on Tuesday at the 6th Committee of the UN General Assembly on 'Measures to eliminate international terrorism'.
Without naming Pakistan, he said, “India has been and continues to be a victim of terrorism sponsored across our borders. we've had firsthand experience of the cruel link between transnational organised crime and terrorism." Umashankar said India condemns terrorism altogether its forms and manifestations and no cause whatsoever or grievance can justify terrorism, including state-sponsored cross-border terrorism.
"Our fight against terrorism should not only seek to eliminate terrorists and disrupt terror organisations/networks, but should also identify/hold accountable and take strong measures against states that encourage, support and finance terrorism, provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror groups," he said.
Umasankar said the fight against terrorism has got to be unrelenting and across all fronts and therefore the flow of resources to terror-linked entities must be completely stopped by collective inter-state efforts.
“The international community cannot and should not be selective in dealing with the terrorists groups or in dismantling terror infrastructure. India strongly condemns direct or indirect financial assistance provided by some States to terrorist groups and/or individuals members thereof,” he said.
India also called on the necessity to figure together to show and destroy the linkages that exist between terrorists and their supporters.
“We need an international mechanism to ensure accountability and justice, enhanced dialogue and broaden understanding amongst member states,” Umasankar said.
While the threat emanating from terrorism is looming large, the inability of the UN to agree on a Comprehensive Convention on terrorism remains “one of the foremost glaring shortcomings" within the international legislative framework, which could have boosted enforcement efforts to destroy safe havens of terrorists, their financial flows and their support networks, he noted.
Umasankar also underscored the importance and wish for early finalisation and conclusion of the draft Comprehensive Convention on terrorism (CCIT), which can reflect the international community's commitment to cooperate in combating terrorism.
He said with advancement in technology and an over flowing cyber world, terrorists are gaining access to infinite resources of “DO IT YOURSELF” kits on issues starting from making bombs to executing, beheadings besides securing communications and flow of funds.
“The proponents and perpetrators of these nefarious acts cleverly adopt emerging technologies for furthering their ideologies and accomplishing their evil acts,” Umasankar said.
Asserting that the sole effective thanks to tackle terrorism is by way of concerted international cooperation and genuine collaboration among the States, Umasankar said combined international efforts by way of extradition, prosecution, information exchange and capacity building go an extended way in countering the menace of terrorism which is threatening the worldwide community.
Umasankar said normative efforts at the United Nations got to be coordinated through collaboration with other fora like Financial Action Task Force (FATF). He said the worldwide Counter-Terrorism Strategy (GCTS) being discussed by the UN General Assembly over the last decade has resulted in little impact on the bottom .
He also stressed that while making every effort to combat terrorism, the UN and its member states should consider the rights of victims of terrorism and obligation of states towards the victims of terrorism under law of nations .
“A vast majority of victims of terrorism are often women and children. It's high time for us to try and strengthen efforts to achieve the objective of putting in place a global legal framework in the form of CCIT to counter a global scourge. this may provide a legal basis for global fight against terrorism as all member states will have a multilateral platform to counter terrorism,” Umasankar said.
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