The Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday that a United Nations report has vindicated India’s stance that Pakistan is the epicentre of global terrorism, PTI reported. According to the report, Pakistan-based extremist groups Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba have been trafficking militants into Afghanistan, threatening to derail the peace process in the country.
“This vindicates India’s long-standing position that Pakistan remains the epicentre of international terrorism,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.
Srivastava added that banned terrorist organisations and individuals continue to enjoy safe haven in Pakistan with state support. “They inflict violence and spread terrorism in the region and other parts of the world,” he said. “Pakistan has failed in fulfilling its international obligations, including under relevant UNSC resolutions and the Financial Action Task Force, to put an end to support to terrorism.”
Srivastava said the international community should hold Pakistan accountable and demand that the country take sustained, verifiable and irreversible action against terrorist groups.
The 25th report of the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team was issued late last month. It said that around 6,500 Pakistanis are among foreign terrorists operating in Afghanistan, the Hindustan Times reported on Tuesday.
The UN report said Afghan officials highlighted that Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba are among the foreign extremist groups that pose a danger in Afghanistan. “All three groups have a presence in the eastern Afghan provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar and Nuristan,” the report said.
Srivastava also said on Tuesday that India remains committed to supporting all efforts towards securing peace, security and stability in Afghanistan, The Indian Express reported. In March, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani signed a decree to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners to begin direct talks with the insurgent group, aimed at ending the 18-year-long war in the country.
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