'Stay vigilant against terror groups in Afghanistan': India to UNSC Monitoring Team

UNITED NATIONS: India has expressed concern over the terrorist attacks in Afghanistan and asked the UN Security Council Sanctions Monitoring Team to keep up its vigilance against terror groups using the war-torn country. India's Deputy Permanent Representative R. Ravindra told the General Assembly on Thursday that the Monitoring Team has played a useful role and India "expects them to continue to monitor and report on all terrorist groups that might use Afghanistan as a base to target other countries".

He noted that the Council in a resolution "unequivocally demands 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, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad". The two terror groups have carried out attacks on India.

Ravindra was speaking on a resolution expressing serious concern over the presence in Afghanistan of terrorist groups like the Al Qaeda and the Islamic State that was adopted by the General Assembly.

It also condemned the Taliban's violation of human rights, especially of women and girls, and said that it was deeply concerned about Afghanistan's dire economic and humanitarian situation.

The resolution introduced by Germany received 116 votes and there were none against it, but Pakistan. China, Russia and North Korea, along with six other countries, abstained.

Ravindra said that India strongly condemned the recent terrorist attacks on public spaces like places of worship and educational institutes, especially of minorities. (IANS)

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