United Nations, Sep 18: India has urged the international community to ensure that UN-designated terror groups, including Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, along with their facilitators, are prevented from exploiting Afghan soil for terrorist activities.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, told the UN Security Council that Delhi is “closely monitoring” Afghanistan’s security situation and called for coordinated global action against ISIL, Al Qaeda and their affiliates.
Reaffirming India’s “paramount interest” in Afghanistan’s peace and stability, Harish highlighted New Delhi’s civilisational ties with Kabul and stressed the need for international and regional consensus. He noted that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has spoken twice with Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and welcomed Kabul’s condemnation of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Harish cautioned against a “business as usual” approach, urging the UN to adopt fresh policy tools beyond punitive measures. He said Afghans, already suffering under sanctions, poverty and last month’s earthquake, need compassion and support.
India was among the first to provide relief after the quake, delivering tents, food supplies, medicines, and hygiene kits. Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, India has supplied 50,000 tonnes of wheat, hundreds of tonnes of medicines, vaccines, pesticides, and supported rehabilitation programmes.
Harish reiterated India’s “non-negotiable” commitment to Afghanistan’s development, citing more than 500 partnership projects across provinces. He affirmed India will continue engaging with stakeholders and support global efforts for a stable and prosperous Afghanistan.
