General Assembly General Assembly

UNOCT Virtual Counter-Terrorism Week

“The global scourge of terrorism: Assessment of high risk threats and trends including the rise of violent extremism and hate speech in a pandemic environment”

  Intervention by Mr. Mahaveer Singhvi

Head of Indian Delegation

7 July 2020

 

Good Morning Excellencies, 

India welcomes the initiative of UNOCT to organise the virtual counter terrorism week despite difficulties caused by COVID-19 pandemic. 

2. While, India has proactively responded to mitigate the health and economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, it continues to face the scourge of state sponsored cross border terrorism.  Terrorists have made innumerable attempts to infiltrate into our country from their safe abodes across the border to carry out attacks and have even used unmanned aerial systems to smuggle weapons across our borders.

3. Globally, we have observed malevolent attempts by terrorists to exploit the financial and emotional distress caused by the lock-downs to disturb the cohesiveness of societies.  The increased presence of people online and on social media has been targeted by terrorists to disseminate misinformation through hate speeches, fake news and doctored videos.  The intent has been to entice and establish links with vulnerable individuals and recruit them in their cadres.  Terror groups have also exhorted supporters to target security forces and health workers.  Another disturbing trend has been the collection of funds by proscribed terrorist outfits ostensibly for undertaking charitable activities, but which, in reality, would be used to finance terror.

4. As the world grapples with Covid-19, it is important to augment international legal frameworks to coherently fight against terrorists, whose disruptive activities continued and, in fact, increased during the pandemic.  Genuine cooperation among member states, under the aegis of the United Nations, in implementing adequate measures to prevent and counter terrorism is more important now than ever before.

Excellencies, 

5. While the world is coming together to battle the pandemic, it is unfortunate that  Pakistan, a state which sponsors cross border terrorism, continues to use every opportunity to peddle false narratives and make baseless, malicious and egregious allegations against India and interfere in our internal affairs.  Today’s statement by Pakistan’s representative is yet another testimony to this. 

6. World can not forget that, on this very day, 12 years ago, Indian Embassy in Kabul was attacked by a Pakistan supported terrorist group, in which, we lost many precious Indian and Afghan lives. It is very unfortunate that a country which perpetrated terrorist attacks in Mumbai (2008), Pathankot (2016), Uri and Pulwama is now preaching to the world community. 

7. Pakistan's ludicrous statement claiming credit for elimination of Al Qaeda is indeed ironic, considering that the global face of terrorism, Osama Bin Laden, has recently been glorified as a martyr, by none other then the Prime Minister of Pakistan on the floor of their Parliament on 25th June 2020.  This is a chilling reminder of the patronage, that the international terrorists receive in Pakistan. 

8.  Pakistan’s Prime Minister had also publicly acknowledged presence of up to 40,000 terrorists in his country and that terrorists from Pakistan have attacked the neighboring countries. Recently, Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team of the UN Security Council, reported that around 6,500 Pakistani terrorists belonging to LeT and JeM are operating in Afghanistan. Pakistan's role as epicenter of terrorism has been well documented by numerous international organisations including UN and FATF. Unlike Pakistan, India does not make any distinction between terrorists and invariably condemns terror attacks anywhere in the world, including the one in Karachi, referred by the Pakistan’s representative in his statement. 

9. Even as Pakistan provides a shelter and support to terrorist, it continues to peddle false and motivated narrative on the situation in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.  It is seeking to portray its military, financial, logistical support to cross border terrorism against India as a freedom struggle. It is also peddling misinformation about India’s domestic legislation and policies.

10. While Pakistan conveniently blames others, it turns a blind eye to the human rights violations in Balochistan, Kyber Pakhtunkhwa and territories of Jammu and Kashmir illegally occupied by Pakistan. It has also systematically and consistently discriminated against its religious and cultural minorities. Reports on forced conversions, attacks on religious places of Ahmedias, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs, Shias, Pastuns, Sindhis, Hazaras and Balochis in Pakistan, are well known to the world community.

11. India is the largest democracy in the world where all faiths receive equal treatment, as mandated by the Constitution. Members from minority communities have held high offices in India, including Presidents and Prime Ministers. Pakistan, being a theocratic State, may find it difficult to fathom India’s secular credentials.  The least, Pakistan could do, therefore, is to look into its own sorry state of affairs and put its house in order before pointing finger at others and spewing venom against the democratically elected Indian government and its leaders.

12. The international community should call upon Pakistan to take sustained, verifiable and irreversible actions against terror outfits operating on the territory under its control. Pakistan must introspect upon why it is universally acknowledged as the international epicenter of terrorism and the best safe haven for terrorists.

13. The world is battling a virulent pandemic today. As Pakistan’s neighbour, we wish its people well and if Pakistan wishes to be taken seriously in fight against the even more destructive virus of terrorism, it must look inward and live up to its commitments and abandon its diversionary tactics. 

Thank you for your kind attention, Excellencies !

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