India says Afghan territory shouldn’t be used for sheltering, training terrorists

NEW YORK: In a veiled attack on Pakistan, India on Thursday said that Afghanistan’s territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts, specifically terrorist individuals and entities proscribed by the UN Security Council, and for drug trafficking.

While addressing the United Nations Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, India’s permanent representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj, said that India “expect that the territory of Afghanistan should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts, specifically terrorist individuals and entities proscribed by the UN Security Council. It also means acting against drug trafficking”.

Talking about Afghanistan’s situation, Kamboj stated that the humanitarian situation in the country is “deeply distressing.” She also told UNSC about the humanitarian assistance that India has provided to Afghanistan in the past year.

“In response to the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people, and in response to the urgent appeals made by the United Nations, India has dispatched several shipments of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. We are committed to continuing our help to the Afghan people, going forward. In this regard, we have provided several shipments of humanitarian assistance, including 40,000 metric tons of wheat, 65 tons of medical aid, and 28 tons of other relief material. Recently, we also sent around 5,000 units of stationery items and winter clothing for the primary school students of the Habiba School in Kabul”, India’s envoy to the UN said.

“In addition, we are also partnering with the UNODC for the welfare and rehabilitation of the drug user population in Afghanistan, especially among Afghan women. For the same, we have assisted UNODC by supplying medical aid, blankets and female hygiene kits as per requirement”, she added.

While appreciating the work being done by the UN in Afghanistan, Kamboj said that India had actively taken part in finalising the draft of the current mandate of the Unama after the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban in 2021. India is ready to work with the Secretary General in his efforts to find progress in the situation in Afghanistan, she added.

India also expressed concern about increasing attempts to remove women from public life in Afghanistan. India calls for women and minorities to be included in Afghanistan’s future and for their rights to be fully respected, Kamboj said.

“I would like to reiterate once again that security and stability in Afghanistan will continue to be our priority and India will continue to speak out in support of the Afghan people. Peace and stability in Afghanistan are critical imperatives that all of us need to collectively strive for. India will continue to play its constructive role in the pursuit of this objective. The interests of the Afghan people will always continue to be at the core of all our efforts”, Kamboj said. (ANI)