Key expectation that Afghanistan will not again sever as base for terrorism, says Jaishankar

Sharing the concern of the international community over the threat of terrorism, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Thursday expressed hope that Taliban-ruled Afghanistan will not again sever as a base for terrorism against other countries.

His remark came in response to a question on threats of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan, during a media stakeout at the UN Security Council (UNSC).

"After the Taliban takeover of Kabul, this council had met and expressed the concern of the international community in regard to Afghanistan as a whole through a council resolution. And I think that remains very much the sentiment and outlook of the international community," Jaishankar said.

Speaking on the key priorities of India during its current tenure at the UNSC, he added, "One of the key expectations there is that Afghanistan will not again sever as a base for terrorism against other countries. We expect whoever has authorities in Afghanistan to respect and honour that commitment."

Since the Taliban's take in August last year, the international community has concerns raised over the resurgence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan. India and other countries have so far exercised caution in engaging with the Taliban regime and continue to monitor the situation in the region.

Meanwhile, members of the Security Council continue to reaffirm that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. They have also underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice.

Earlier on Thursday, during the UNSC briefing on counter-terrorism, Jaishankar said this Council is well aware that terrorism is an existential threat to international peace and security.

He highlighted how India faced the horrors of cross-border terrorism long before the world took serious note of it.

"Over the decades, we lost thousands of innocent civilian lives. But we fought terrorism resolutely, bravely and with a zero-tolerance approach. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared: We consider that even a single attack is one too many and even a single life lost is one too many," he said during a high-level briefing on "Global Approach to Counter Terrorism - Challenges and Way Forward".

Jaishankar said India has striven to bring these principles into the counter-terrorism architecture of the UN and into the debate on terrorism at this Council as the Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the Security Council this year.

"Combating terrorism is a battle in which there is no respite. The world cannot afford attention deficit or tactical compromises. It is most of all for the Security Council to lead the global response in this regard. Today's briefing is another step in that direction," he added.

( With inputs from ANI )

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