India on Friday welcomed a resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council to combat terror financing. In a veiled reference to Pakistan, India said states who are “apologists for terrorists” will continue to provide alibis to justify their actions and inactions.
The UN Security Council had on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution, which called upon member states to step up efforts to combat and criminalise the financing of terrorists and their activities.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, participated in the Security Council’s open debate and said terrorists are going to find creative ways to “violate the rulebook”.
“Also, the unfortunate reality is that states who are apologists for terrorists will continue to provide alibis to justify their actions and inaction too, as was done by a serial offender earlier today,” he said, purportedly referring to Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Maleeha Lodhi, had on Thursday warned against the politicisation of the UN’s counter-terrorism efforts. “It is important that current structures like FATF [Financial Action Task Force] and the 1267 Sanctions regimes are not used as political tools by some to advance their geopolitical goals,” Lodhi had said, according to Geo News. “There is also a need to make these institutions more inclusive of the wider membership in their decision-making processes.”
Akbaruddin said New Delhi welcomed the recognition in the latest resolution of the role of the Financial Action Task Force in setting global standards in the context of preventing and combating money laundering and terrorist financing.
He, however, said the council “can and needs to do a better job of overseeing the implementation of its resolutions relating to terrorist financing”. India said no effective action was taken when instances of non-compliance with the sanctions measures were reported.
“Non-compliance of crucial sanctions measures in case of UN proscribed terrorists and entities renders all of us, member states, at a high risk of facing challenges from these terrorist organisations who are well funded and armed despite international measures,” Akbaruddin said.
Akbaruddin added that combating terrorism is viewed by many states and their people as “one of the most fundamental security policy priorities” that require global responsiveness. “Effective and sustained efforts at countering terrorism is at the heart of the issue of addressing terrorism,” he added.
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