In a clearly worded message to the United Nations, India's External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Saturday slammed both China and Pakistan for their perceived double standards on the issue of terrorism, saying that no rhetoric, however sanctimonious, can ever cover-up blood stains and asserted that nations who defend proclaimed terrorists in the United Nations neither advance their own interests nor their reputation, a signal to China and Pakistan.
Jaishankar was referring specifically to China, which has, on numerous occasions, used its position as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to veto resolutions against Pakistan-based terrorist groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
During his address to the UN General Assembly session, Jaishankar said that those who politicise the UNSC 1267 Sanctions regime -- which designated Osama bin Laden and associates as terrorists and established a sanctions regime to cover individuals and entities associated with Al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden and/or the Taliban wherever located --, sometimes even to the extent of defending proclaimed terrorists, do so at their own peril.
"Having borne the brunt of cross border terrorism for decades, India firmly advocates a 'zero- tolerance' approach. In our view, there is no justification for any act of terrorism, regardless of motivation. And no rhetoric, however sanctimonious, can ever cover-up blood stains," he said.
"The United Nations responds to terrorism by sanctioning its perpetrators. Those who politicise the UNSC 1267 Sanctions regime, sometimes even to the extent of defending proclaimed terrorists, do so at their own peril. Believe me, they advance neither their own interests nor indeed their reputation," he said.
Earlier this month, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organistaion's (SCO) annual summit held in Samarkand in Uzbekistan, China blocked a proposal led by the US and India at the United Nations (UN) to blacklist Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Sajid Mir, wanted for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
Both China and Pakistan are members of the SCO, along with India, and 26/11 remains arguably the most audacious terror attack conducted on Indian soil.
Earlier, in June this year, China put a hold, at the last moment, on a joint proposal by India and the US to list Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki under the 1267 Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.
Makki is a US-designated terrorist and brother-in-law of Lashkar-e-Taiba head and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
