26-05-2025
Pak-based groups linked to terror attacks: India at UN meeting
India raised the links of proscribed Pakistan-based terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and their proxies to terror attacks ranging from the 2008 Mumbai attacks to the Pahalgam massacre at a United Nations meeting in Vienna and called for the early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
While delivering India's statement at the session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), Niraj Kumar Bansod, a joint secretary of the Union home ministry, emphasised that terrorism is an existential danger to global peace and security.
Raising the role of Pakistan-based terror groups, he said: 'UN-proscribed terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and their proxies have orchestrated attacks on Indian soil, leading to tragic loss of innocent lives.'
'Incidents such as the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the attacks in Uri and Pathankot in 2016, the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing, and most recently, the heinous terror attack in Pahalgam where 26 tourists were shot dead, remain deeply etched in our national consciousness,' he said.
India reiterated its resolve to eliminate all forms of terrorism and said it has been at the forefront of global efforts to combat the menace. 'We are signatory to 13 sectoral conventions on terrorism adopted by the United Nations, and we strongly advocate for the early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism,' Bansod said.
New Delhi first proposed the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the UN General Assembly in 1996, when it was dealing with Pakistan-backed terror in Jammu and Kashmir, and negotiations on the proposed treaty have been held up primarily because UN member states have not been able to agree on the definition of terrorism.
The four-day meeting of the CCPCJ from May 19 was attended by more than 1,300 participants representing 134 member states, 64 non-governmental organisations, 15 intergovernmental organisations and 15 UN entities such as Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and Interpol.
The Indian side has stepped up efforts to expose Pakistan's continuing support for terrorism targeting India at such global meetings and mechanisms in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack of April 22.
India's statement at the CCPCJ meeting said all forms of terrorism, 'irrespective of the motives behind terrorist act, can never be justified, and the perpetrators and supporters of such acts should be brought to justice'. This was in line with a statement issued by the UN Security Council calling for the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack to be held accountable.
Bansod also said that India has been an 'active participant in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and other international platforms dedicated to countering the financing of terrorism'.
The statement further highlighted that India has continuously strengthened its legal and enforcement mechanisms to counter the challenges posed by terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, cybercrime, corruption, and other transnational criminal activities. 'These issues are no longer confined by borders; they demand unified and decisive international cooperation,' Bansod said.
Currently, seven teams of political leaders, parliamentarians and former diplomats are travelling across the world to inform key interlocutors of India's new approach to combating cross-border terrorism following the Pahalgam terror attack. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure on Pakistani soil. This triggered four days of intense clashes that ended when India and Pakistan reached an understanding on stopping military actions on May 10.
Indian officials have also hinted that New Delhi will push for placing Pakistan in the 'grey list' of the FATF at the financial watchdog's plenary meet in June by furnishing evidence that Islamabad failed to enforce anti-money laundering and counter-terror reforms and made no headway in prosecuting UN-designated terrorists.
At the meeting in Vienna, India also pointed to the growing threat posed by cybercrime and said the government has adopted an integrated approach to this evolving challenge.
'We have established a robust legal and institutional framework to prosecute cyber offences effectively. The creation of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has enabled seamless information sharing among law enforcement agencies and relevant stakeholders,' Bansod said.
