United Nations, Mar 5: India has called on the international community to act collectively against Islamic State (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda and their proxies, stressing that terrorism remains an “existential threat” to international peace and security.
Speaking at the annual ambassadorial-level briefing of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism to member states, First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN Raghoo Puri said terrorism transcends borders, nationality and race and must be confronted collectively by the global community.
“Terrorism is an existential threat to international peace and security. It knows no borders, nationality or race, and is a challenge that the international community must combat collectively,” Puri said on Wednesday.
Referring to the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, he recalled that the assault, carried out by The Resistance Front, a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, resulted in the deaths of 26 tourists.
“We must act together against ISIS and Al Qaeda and their proxies,” Puri said, adding that India, having faced cross-border terrorism for nearly three decades, is fully aware of the socio-economic and human cost of terrorism, particularly for victims.
India also highlighted the importance of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy as a key instrument for strengthening multilateral cooperation in tackling terrorism.
Puri said India would remain actively engaged in consultations for the ninth review of the strategy and assured full cooperation to co-facilitators Finland and Morocco during the negotiations.
He further noted that during its tenure as Chair of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee in 2022, India worked to integrate these principles into the UN’s counter-terrorism architecture and global debate on terrorism.
Highlighting India’s initiatives, Puri referred to the ‘Delhi Declaration’, a landmark document adopted to counter the misuse of new and emerging technologies by terrorist groups.
The declaration was adopted following a special meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee held in New Delhi and Mumbai in October 2022 under India’s chairmanship, focusing on countering the use of emerging technologies for terrorist purposes.
India continues to work closely with the UN and its various agencies to strengthen capacity and help partner nations prepare for evolving terrorist threats, he added. (Agencies)
