United Nations: India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Parvathaneni Harish, has given a strong message against terrorism at the UN General Assembly during the adoption of the Ninth Review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (GCTS). He asserted that terrorism can never be justified under any circumstances and called for a united global response against the menace.
Addressing the General Assembly, Harish underlined India’s long-standing position on counter-terrorism and said, “A terrorist is a terrorist!! We must work hand in hand to root out the murderous ideology without finding any grievance to justify terrorism."
Reiterating India’s zero-tolerance approach, he said the international community must unequivocally condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. He also renewed India’s call for the adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT), noting that India had first proposed the convention a decade before the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy was adopted in 2006.
Calling the nearly three-decade delay a setback to global counter-terrorism efforts, Harish said, “The time has come to demonstrate political will to conclude the CCIT."
Listing India’s priorities under the Ninth Review, Harish said the international community must reject double standards in combating terrorism and ensure that perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors are held accountable.
He stressed that countering terror financing should remain central to global efforts and called for better financial intelligence sharing, stronger implementation of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards and action to ensure that no jurisdiction serves as a safe conduit for terror financing.
