Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla Addressed the media at the UN Security Council stakeout on Monday
Pakistan-based terror groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba are UN Security Council proscribed terror entities that need to be called out and condemned in the strongest possible terms, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has said.
Addressing the media at the UN Security Council stakeout on Monday, Mr Shringla underlined that the Council resolution on Afghanistan, adopted under India's Presidency, refers to individuals and terror entities designated by the world organisation.
Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed as well as the Haqqani Network are proscribed terror entities under UNSC resolution 1267 (1999) concerning ISIS (Da'esh), Al Qaeda, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities.
JeM founder Masood Azhar and LeT chief Hafiz Saeed are also listed as global terrorists under the 1267 Sanctions regime.
"Today's UN Security Council resolution... is a very important and timely pronouncement, coming as it does under India's Presidency of the UN Security Council. I want to highlight the fact that the resolution makes it very clear that Afghan territory should not be used to threaten or attack any other country, in particular also underlines the importance of combating terrorism. It also refers to those individuals and entities that have been designated under Security Council Resolution 1267," Mr Shringla said.
"In that context, I may mention that the LeT and the JeM, are UN Security Council proscribed entities, terror entities that need to be called out and condemned in the strongest possible terms. So, I think from that point of view, it has been quite unequivocal in the Council and I think that also reflects the views of Council members as we understand it from the discussions" he said.
Mr Shringla chaired meetings of the Security Council as President of the powerful 15-nation UN body as India's month-long presidency comes to an end on Tuesday.
The Council adopted a strong resolution drafted by France, the UK and the US, with 13 members voting in favor and permanent veto-wielding members China and Russia abstaining.
Responding to questions from reporters after the adoption of the resolution, Mr Shringla said that as a neighbour of Afghanistan, a country with whom India has historical connection, the resolution as well as the Council's engagement over the month of August on Afghanistan has been "very very important."
"I've already mentioned to you about the number of outcomes on Afghanistan that the Council has produced over the last month and I think all of these are very, very significant outcomes," he said.
Under India's Presidency for the month of August, the Council held three sessions on Afghanistan and issued three press statements on August 3, 16 and 27, the last one strongly condemning the "deplorable attacks" near Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on August 26.
On the penultimate day of India's Presidency, the Council issued a strong resolution on Afghanistan that again condemned in the strongest terms the attacks near the Kabul airport.
"The attack, claimed by the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, an entity affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da'esh), resulted in the deaths and injuries of over 300 civilians and 28 military personnel, and takes note of the Taliban's condemnation of this attack," it said.