Afghan soil should not be used to nurture terrorism: India at UNSC meeting

Terming the situation in Afghanistan as ldquovery fragilerdquo India has said it is important that the Taliban adheres to its commitment to not allow the use of the Afghan soil for terrorism including from terror groups designated under Security Council resolution 1267 that lists Pakistanbased outfits LashkareTaiba and JaisheMohammedIndiarsquos Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said at the UN Security Council Debate on Afghanistan Thursday that as Afghanistanrsquos neighbour India was privileged to preside over the adoption of a substantial and forwardlooking product of the Council during its presidency of the 15nation UN body last monthThe resolution on Afghanistan ldquotook into account some of our collective concerns in particular on terrorism where it has noted the commitment of the Taliban not to allow the use of the Afghan soil for terrorism including from terrorists and terrorist groups designated under Resolution 1267The Security Council resolution has ldquounderlined that Afghan territory should not be used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train terrorists or to plan or to finance terrorist acts As witnessed from the deplorable terrorist attack at Kabul Airport last month terrorism continues to pose a serious threat to Afghanistan It is therefore important that commitments made in this regard are respected and adhered tordquo Tirumurti saidLashkareTaiba and JaisheMohammed as well as the Haqqani Network are proscribed terror entities under UNSC resolution 1267 1999 concerning ISIL Darsquoesh AlQaeda and associated individuals groups undertakings and entities JeM founder Masood Azhar and LeT leader Hafiz Saeed are also listed as global terrorists under the 1267 Sanctions regimeResolution 2593 also took note of the Taliban statement that Afghans will be able to travel abroad in an unhindered manner We hope that these commitments will be adhered to including regarding the safe secure and orderly departure from Afghanistan of Afghans and all foreign nationalsrdquo Tirumurti saidAlso ReadTaliban closes bank accounts of exAfghan govt officialsIndia also called on the international community to rise above any partisan interests and stand together with the people of Afghanistan in their desire for peace stability and security in the countryldquoThe situation in Afghanistan continues to be very fragile As its immediate neighbour and a friend to its people the current situation is of direct concern to usrdquo Tirumurti saidHe said uncertainties abound about the future of the Afghan people as well as about sustaining and building on the gains achieved over the last two decadesldquoIn this context we reiterate the need for the voices of Afghan women to be heard aspirations of Afghan children to be realised and the rights of minorities to be protected We call on humanitarian assistance to be provided urgently and underline the need to provide unhindered access to the UN and other agencies in this regardrdquo he saidUnderlining that Afghanistan has already seen enough bloodshed and violence in recent years Tirumurti said India ldquocalls on the international community to come together rising above any partisan interests to stand together with the people of Afghanistan in their desire for peace stability and security in the country We need to enable all Afghans including women children and minorities to live in peace and dignityrdquoBriefing the Security Council SecretaryGeneralrsquos Special Representative for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons said that the new reality in Afghanistan is that the lives of millions of Afghans will depend on how the Taliban will choose to governldquoWe are faced as of two days ago with a de facto administration announced by the Taliban Those who hoped for and urged for inclusivity will be disappointed There are no women in the names listed There are no nonTaliban members no figures from the past government nor leaders of minority groups Instead it contains many of the same figures who were part of the Taliban leadership from 1996 to 2001rdquo she saidLyons told the Council that ldquowhat is of immediate and practical importance to those around this table is that of the 33 names presented many are on the United Nations sanctions list including the prime minister the two deputy prime ministers and the foreign minister All of you will need to decide which steps to take regarding the sanctions list and the impact on future engagementrdquoThe Taliban announced a hardline interim government led by Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund chief of the Talibans powerful decisionmaking body Rehbari Shura He will be the Acting Prime Minister while Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will be his deputy in the new Islamic governmentrdquo Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at a news conference in KabulThe announcement of key figures in the caretaker government comes weeks after the Taliban seized control of wartorn Afghanistan ousting the previous elected leadership which was backed by the WestUNdesignated terrorist Sirajuddin Haqqani is also part of the interim Taliban government Haqqani a specially designated global terrorist and son of the famous antiSoviet warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani who founded Haqqani Network is the new acting interior minister in the 33member Cabinet that has no woman member Haqqani has been one of two deputy leaders of the Taliban since 2016 and has a USD 10 million US bounty on his headKhalil Haqqani Sirajuddinrsquos uncle was appointed as acting minister for refugees Two other members of the Haqqani clan were also named to positions in the interim government indicating the hand of Pakistan in the Talibanrun governmentTirumurti stressed Indiarsquos call for an inclusive dispensation in Afghanistan which represents all sections of Afghan societyldquoA broadbased inclusive and representative formation attained through an inclusive negotiated political settlement would gain greater international acceptability and legitimacyrdquo he saidHe further said that India calls upon all members of the Council that when it decides on the future of the UNAMA UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan mandate ldquowe keep our focus centred on Afghan people and their expectations from the international community to stand by them in this hour of crisisrdquoTirumurti said the world has witnessed dramatic changes in the situation in Afghanistan over the course of the last month The Security Council met thrice in August under Indiarsquos Presidency and has collectively pronounced the prevailing situation In particular UN Security Council Resolution UNSCR 2593 on Afghanistan clearly sets out the Councilrsquos expectations on a range of critical and immediate issues he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever