Era of labelling terrorists 'good' or 'bad' must go: India at UNSC

New Delhi, December 11

While being the lone country to protest humanitarian carve-outs for internationally listed terrorists and organisations, India has also opposed the classifying of terrorists as “bad” or “good” on the basis of “political convenience”.

In a vote earlier this week, India was the only country among 15 UNSC members to abstain from a US-Ireland resolution for providing exemption from sanctions to internationally sanctioned terror entities. It has now sought this practice of classifying terrorists to end immediately, said a concept note circulated by India in the UN Security Council, which comes ahead of its plan to hold a “signature event” on counter-terrorism, to be chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, on December 15.

The note said categorising terror acts by intent as religious or ideologically motivated would dilute the shared global commitment to fighting terrorism. “The terrorist attacks in New York on September 11, 2001, were a turning point in the global approach to counter terrorism. Since then, London, Mumbai, Paris, many parts of West Asia and Africa have also experienced terrorist attacks,” the concept note last week said.

It added that these attacks highlighted that the threat of terrorism was grave and universal, and that terrorism in one part of the world seriously impacted peace and security in other parts of the globe.

“The threat of terrorism is transnational. Terrorist actors and their supporters, facilitators and financiers collaborate while remaining in different jurisdictions to organise acts anywhere in the world. A transnational threat can be defeated only by the collective efforts of all state members of the United Nations,” it said.

“Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations must be condemned. There cannot be an exception or justification for any act of terrorism, regardless of its motivation and wherever, whenever and by whosoever committed.