Terrorist groups rebranding as NGOs to evade curbs: India at UN

United Nations, February 8

Some terrorist groups have made a “mockery” of the UN Security Council’s sanction regimes by taking full advantage of carve-outs given for humanitarian purposes, India said as it made a veiled reference to Pakistan, saying proscribed terrorist groups in the neighbourhood have rebranded themselves as humanitarian organisations to evade sanctions.

“It is imperative that sanctions do not impede legitimate humanitarian requirements. However, it is important to exercise due diligence while providing humanitarian carve-outs, especially in cases where terrorism finds safe havens,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti said on Monday.

Speaking at the UN Security Council Open Debate hosted by the council president, Russia, on “General issues relating to sanctions: Preventing their humanitarian and unintended consequences”, Tirumurti said there had been examples of terrorist groups taking full advantage of humanitarian carve-outs, “making a mockery of sanction regimes”, including that of 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee.

“There have also been several cases of terrorist groups in our neighbourhood, including those listed by this council, rebranding themselves as humanitarian organisations to evade these sanctions,” he said, making a reference to terror organisations based in Pakistan. — PTI

Running charity groups

• Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa has a charity wing Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation
• In 2019, these were banned by Pakistan amid intense global pressure to rein in the terror groups following the Pulwama terror attack
• Saeed was listed under the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008