Likening terrorism to COVID-19 pandemic, India warned the UN Security Council on Thursday that terror groups Lashkar and Jaish were operating with ‘impuniity’ and the Council should not take a ‘complacent view’ of the problem.

“Whether it is in Afghanistan or against India, groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed continue to operate with both impunity and encouragement. It is, therefore, vital that this Council does not take a selective, tactical or even a complacent view of the problems we face,” India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, reports PTI.

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“We must never countenance sanctuaries for terrorists or overlook the raising of their resources,” said Jaishankar, as he chaired the Security Council briefing on ‘Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts’, held under India’s current presidency of the 15-member Council.

Attacking neighbour Pakistan, where banned UN terrorists and terror groups continue to operate often with tacit state support, Jaishankar said, “when we see state hospitality being extended to those with innocent blood on their hands, we should never lack the courage to call out this double-speak.” 

Drawing a parallel between the COVID-19 pandemic and the global scourge of terrorism, the External Affairs Minister said, “what is true of COVID is even more true of terrorism: none of us are safe until all of us are safe.” 

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The UNSC briefing considered the 13th report of the Secretary General on the threat posed by ISIL (Da’esh) to international peace and security. The August 3 report states that Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan has expanded its presence in several provinces of Afghanistan and strengthened its positions in and around Kabul.

In an important observation, the report warned that if the Taliban, who recently  took over Afghanistan, feel threatened, they may join the Da’esh affiliate. 

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On ISIL-Khorasan (ISIL-K)  threat in India’s neighbourhood,  Jaishankar said, “This should be taken seriously. Events unfolding in Afghanistan have naturally enhanced global concerns about their implications for both regional and international security.” 

The meeting came as the world gears to commemorate next month 20 years of the horrific 9/11 tragedy in New York. “We, in India, have of course had more than our fair share of challenges and casualties. The 2008 Mumbai terror attack is imprinted in our memories.

In an attack on China, Jaishankar said that countries should not unnecessarily place blocks and holds without any reason on requests to designate terrorists, warning that any double standards and distinctions between terrorists would be made only at “our own peril”.

This was in reference to China repeatedly placing technical holds on bids by India and other nations to designate the head of Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed Masood Azhar.