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International community must take fresh look at Afghan drawdown: India
Highlights
India has said the growing number of terrorist attacks across the world present a strong case for the international community to review the drawdown of international troops from war-torn Afghanistan.
India has said the growing number of terrorist attacks across the world present a strong case for the international community to review the drawdown of international troops from war-torn Afghanistan.
India's Permanent Representative to the UN Asoke Mukerji cited the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's report that said terrorism and not insurgency or tribal differences, is the main source of insecurity and instability in Afghanistan.
Mukerji said the "main concern" for India remains over the security situation in Afghanistan. He called on the Security Council, which has passed several resolutions to counter terrorism binding on all member states, to look at ways to paralyse terrorist organisations such as ISIL and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
"The first step the Council should undertake is to strengthen the Council's Sanctions Regime structure, in order to effectively impose and implement the restrictions placed on the listed terrorist organisations, so as to deny them sanctuaries and safe haven," he said.
He stressed that a special responsibility lies on the Security Council to ensure that the threats to international peace and security related to the situation in Afghanistan are dealt with on a priority basis, so that the post-2015 Development Agenda can be effectively implemented in Afghanistan.
He termed as "alarming" the revelation regarding linkages of intra-terrorist violence between the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and its affiliates with the Taliban.
Mukerji further said it is "disturbing" that the majority of alleged ISIL affiliated fighters appear to be drawn from disaffected former members of the Afghan Taliban, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or groups previously associated with Al-Qaeda.
"The recent attacks in Beirut, Syria and Paris all point towards rising extremism and the extension of the arc of terrorism. We urge the Security Council to act against this threat to international peace and security with a sense of urgency and within a defined time-frame," he said.
Given the growing number of terrorist attacks across the world and its ongoing activity in Afghanistan, Mukerji said India is of the view that there is a strong case for the international community to take a fresh look at the manner in which the drawdown of the international military presence in Afghanistan is happening.
The US has planned since last year to reduce US troops in Afghanistan from the current force of 10,000 to 1,000 or less by the time President Barack Obama leaves office.
"The patterns of violence in Afghanistan are mutating and terrorists are not only attempting to grab territory, but also injecting sectarianism in an already complex situation," Mukerji said.
He said India has taken note of the various steps taken by the Afghan government under the leadership of President Ashraf Ghani to launch a peace process in Afghanistan, adding that Ghani has also called for effective and verifiable action against the Haqqani network.
With Afghanistan facing huge development challenges, Mukerji said it is important for the country to have a supportive, stable political environment for growth and development.
Pakistan's UN envoy Maleeha Lodhi said, recent military developments in Kunduz had illustrated the vulnerabilities of the Afghan Security Forces and their continued reliance on the international military presence.
She said while Pakistan remained ready to assist in reviving an Afghan-led and owned peace process, it would do so only once requested by the Afghan Government. She further stressed that it would be important for the anti-Pakistan rhetoric from Kabul to cease.
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