India has suffered greatly for decades from cross-border terrorism perpetrated by terrorist groups using illicit weapons smuggled across the country's borders, the New Delhi envoy said here, in a veiled reference to Pakistan, calling on the community world to "unequivocally" condemn the state sponsorship of such militant clothing.
During the United Nations Security Council briefing on "Small Arms and Light Weapons", the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Ambassador, T.S. Tirumurti strongly underlined the need for the Council to focus on the transfer and trafficking of arms and arms to terrorists and terrorist groups.
"These weapons are becoming increasingly sinister and deadly in the hands of terrorists, who use them deliberately and indiscriminately to target innocent civilians, including women and children," he said.
"For several decades, my country has suffered enormously from cross-border terrorism and the violence perpetrated by terrorist groups using these illicit weapons smuggled across our borders, even now using drones," he said. he stated, in a veiled reference to Pakistan.
He said that an increase in the volume and quality of the arsenal acquired by these terrorist organizations "reminds us time and again that they cannot exist without the patronage or support of states. This must be unequivocally condemned. ". He also urged the Council to have "zero tolerance" towards terrorist actors, their possession and misuse of small arms and light weapons, and their sponsors.
The High Representative for Disarmament, Izumi Nakamitsu, told the Council that the misuse, illicit transfer and destabilizing accumulation of small arms and light weapons and related ammunition remain a key factor in undermining the peace and security at the national, regional and global levels and have profoundly worsened the situation of vulnerable populations already affected by conflict.
“In the contexts in which UN peacekeeping operations have been entrusted, illicit flows and the easy availability of weapons can exacerbate and maintain conflict dynamics; make arms embargoes ineffective; endanger peacekeepers, aid workers, and local populations; and complicate the implementation of peace agreements, ”she said.
Ms. Nakamitsu added that small arms control measures, in particular, the development and implementation of security and border management strategies; better stockpile management, and the fight against the illicit manufacture of weapons are effective tools for interrupting the illicit supply of small arms and light weapons to terrorists.
Mr. Tirumurti underlined that the threat posed by the illicit transfer of small arms and light weapons is a matter of concern for the entire international community. Tirumurti told the Council that the illicit possession and misuse of small arms and light weapons by non-state and terrorist groups constitutes a violation of state sovereignty.
“UN peacekeeping missions could help host countries address the problem of illicit transfers of small arms and light weapons by building the capacity of law enforcement and security agencies in the safe handling, maintenance, and management of stockpiles of weapons and weapons, including those recovered from non-state actors, ”he said.
India welcomed the recommendation of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish a dedicated component or unit within peacekeeping missions to manage this assistance.