India lambastes Pakistan for differentiating between good and bad terrorists; asks to change ‘mindset’
New York, January 21: And the humiliation for Pakistan continues as it continues to provide safe havens for terrorists and terrorist groups. India continues to humiliate Pakistan at United Nations Security Council session and asked Islamabad to change its mindset of differentiating between good and bad terrorists.
Indian Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin while speaking United Nations said that Pakistan needs to change its mindset of differentiating between good and bad terrorists, urging it to focus on challenges posed by terrorism emanating from the safe havens from across the border.
In a debate, ‘Building regional partnership in Afghanistan and central Asia as a model to link Security and Development’ Indian Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said that India's vision is to see Kabul regain its place. Akbaruddin also noted that India remains committed to work closely with its regional and international partners to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan.
“In case of Afghanistan, however, this linkage is skewed in one direction only – the impact of the deteriorating security environment on development. That the security situation weighs adversely on Afghanistan is reflected in the latest World Bank Development update. From 2003 to 2012, Afghanistan recorded a 9.6% annual economic growth rate. Last year, this was 2.6%, which is better than the 2.2% recorded in 2016, which in turn was better than the lower growth rate in 2014-15. Next year, the projections are for growth to edge up to 3.2%, assuming the security situation holds,” Akbaruddin said.
The Indian Ambassador also said, “Many of us who are engaged in development and infrastructure projects in Afghanistan are acutely aware of the disproportionate amount of resources that are diverted to protecting the projects and infrastructure which is created, rather than building more projects in the country. While we commonly see attacks on dams, schools, parliament buildings and electric power centers, what is most debilitating for the development of the country are the attacks on its people. The attacks on the young in Afghan schools, women in Afghan hospitals and the hopeful in Afghan mosques are all a stark reminder of how the very spirit of Afghanistan’s future is being systematically threatened and scarred by those who believe that violence is the only way to achieve their goals.”
“It is our vision that Afghanistan regains its place and we remain committed to work closely with our regional and international partners to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan. It is with this in mind that our Prime Minister, during his visit to Afghanistan on 24 December 2015 to inaugurate the Parliament building, stopped over in Lahore, Pakistan,” Syed Akbaruddin noted.
The Indian official also stated that unfortunately, these visits were followed by a heinous and barbaric terrorist attack on the Pathankot airbase on 1 January 2016, perpetrated and planned by the very same mindsets which attack the spirit of Afghanistan every day. These mindsets differentiate between good and bad terrorists. These mindsets refuse to see reason in peace. “They are mindsets that are reluctant to join hands in moving the region forward to build a shared future for our people and our youth,” he added.
Syed Akbaruddin also honoured the supreme sacrifices made by the Afghan Defence and Security Forces for the cause of humanity and in their efforts at fighting terrorism emanating from beyond Afghanistan’s borders. “Terrorism and externally induced instability pose the gravest threat to Afghanistan’s peace, stability and prosperity. And the growing arc of terrorist violence endangers our entire region,” he added.
Earlier, the US told the UN Security Council that the status quo regarding terrorist safe havens in Pakistan is not acceptable. The US had said that the status quo regarding continued terror safe havens in Pakistan is not acceptable and insisted that Islamabad join its efforts to bring a resolution to the conflict.
"We seek to work cohesively and effectively with Pakistan, but cannot be successful if the status quo, one where terrorist organizations are given sanctuary inside the country's borders, is allowed to continue," US deputy secretary of state John Sullivan told the ministerial meeting.
Afghan deputy foreign minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai too reiterated the presence of terrorist safe haven in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Pakistan continued to be in denial mode.