UNITED NATIONS, June 21: India has called for concerted actions to root out syndicates of terrorism, including al-Qaeda, Taliban and LeT from Afghanistan, noting that security situation remains fragile in the war-torn country.
During a special briefing on Afghanistan, Deputy Ambassador to the UN Manjeev Puri said the security situation in Afghanistan remains fragile as demonstrated by a number of high-profile terrorist attacks over the last two months.
“We condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms and convey our condolences to the Government and people of Afghanistan,” he said.
“Concerted action is needed to isolate and root out the syndicate of terrorism, which includes elements of the Taliban, AI-Qaida, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other terrorist and extremist groups,” he said.
It is, therefore, important that the transition plan in Afghanistan is based on the ground situation rather than a “pre-determined timeframe”, Puri told members of the UN Security Council during the briefing.
“It is also important that the ongoing transition must remain Afghan-led and Afghan-owned, must be multi-faceted and should ensure the protection and promotion of the human rights of all Afghans, and lead to the strengthening of the Afghan state and its institutions,” the top Indian diplomat said.
The efforts of the international community in Afghanistan should remain focused on security, development, governance, and regional and international cooperation which is aligned with the overall objective of the Afghan government, the Indian official said.
“This alone will enable the Afghan government to eventually assume full responsibility and take charge of Afghanistan’s destiny without outside interference,” he said.
Stressing that Afghanistan’s stability and economic development depend a lot on its neighbours and the region as a whole, Puri said: “We must expand, rather than hinder, trade, transit and transport ties, including overland transit and trade.”
That is the best way of bringing the regional dimension into play in a positive manner, he added.
“Growing economic inter-dependence will also help in weaning disaffected youth away from insurgency and militancy and in creating a zone of co-prosperity in the region. We support the wishes of the Government of Afghanistan to take the lead in this direction,” he said. (PTI)
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