In India, the practice of categorizing terrorists as either good or bad based on their political convenience must end immediately
In a concept note circulated by India in the UN Security Council here, it is emphasized that the practice of categorizing terrorists by intent as religious or ideologically motivated will undermine the shared global commitment to fighting terrorism. A concept note circulated by India highlights the need to stop classifying terrorists by their intent as “bad” or “good.”
Two signature events will be held by the Government of India, the current president of the 15-nation UN Security Council, on December 14 and 15, under the chairmanship of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
As part of the ‘Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts’, India proposes to hold a briefing of the Security Council on December 15 on “Global counter-terrorism approach – principles and the way forward”.
Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, requested in a letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the Security Council circulate a concept note intended to guide the discussion on the topic.
“The terrorist attacks that took place in New York on September 11, 2001 marked a significant turning point in the global fight against terrorism. As a result of the attacks, London, Mumbai, Paris, as well as many parts of West Asia and Africa have also been affected by terrorist attacks,” according to the concept note published last week.
In addition, these attacks underscore the grave, universal nature of the threat of terrorism and the serious impact that terrorism has on peace and security in other parts of the world.
There is a transnational threat of terrorism. It is common for terrorists and their supporters, facilitators, and financiers to collaborate while remaining in different jurisdictions in an effort to carry out acts anywhere in the world. “It is only through the collective efforts of all U.N. Members that a transnational threat can be defeated,” the report stated.
In the note, the note emphasizes that terrorism cannot be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation, or ethnic group.
“Terrorism should be condemned in all its manifestations and forms. Any act of terrorism cannot be justified or excused, regardless of its motivation, wherever it occurs, whenever it occurs, and by whomever it is perpetrated. There must be an end to the practice of grading terrorists as “bad”, “not so bad”, or “good” based on political convenience.” According to the report, existing and emerging threats require that terrorists be viewed in a collective manner.
“Examining the motivations behind terrorist acts and categorizing them by intent, such as political or religious, and by ideological motivation, will compromise our commitment to fighting terrorism,” the report said.
As mentioned in the concept note, there has been a resurgence of terrorist activities both nationally and internationally in recent months.
According to the note, “The threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan, Al-Qaida and Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent has increased as a result of the Taliban taking control of Kabul in August 2021.”
Under India’s August 2021 presidency, the Security Council adopted resolution 2593 (2021), which expressed the collective expectation that Afghan soil would not be used for terrorism, to threaten or attack any country, to shelter or train terrorists, or to plan or finance terrorist activities.
Despite this, “the threat prospects remain high.” Furthermore, African terrorist groups are finding ideological support among global terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaida and ISIL.
Pirates and organised criminal networks facilitated trafficking in weapons, drugs, humans, and finance for these terrorist groups, further complicating the terrorist threat. The threat continues to grow towards the coastal region of Western Africa.” The concept note noted that the proliferation of digitalisation, new and emerging communication and financial technologies has also increased the risk of terrorist groups utilizing these technologies. Particularly during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, there was an increased risk of radicalisation through the Internet and social media, as well as terrorism financing through cryptocurrencies and crowdfunding platforms.
Several member states have also reported using unmanned aerial systems to monitor targets, traffic drugs and arms, and launch terrorist attacks on critical infrastructure and public places in recent years.
It is also expected that this high-level briefing will provide Council members with an opportunity to discuss the recent Counter-Terrorism Committee meeting in Mumbai and Delhi, held under the chairmanship of India in late October, Among the goals of the meeting is to share their perspectives on the current state of affairs and to arrive at key principles for the global community’s collective fight against terrorism. Among the guiding questions for the meeting is what trends should the global collective be aware of in the fight against terrorism and how sanctions regimes can be safeguarded and made effective in combating terrorism while maintaining their sanctity.
