World · India Bureau
India accuses Pakistan of harbouring terror groups at UN Security Council
India has drawn parallels between Pakistan's alleged support for terrorist organisations and the environment that once sheltered al-Qaeda operatives, arguing that militant groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba continue to operate from settled communities rather than remote hideouts.
LSN India ·
India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Harish Parvathaneni, launched a sharp critique of Pakistan during a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, asserting that the country provides a "permissive environment" for designated terror groups.
Parvathaneni invoked the history of the September 11, 2001 attacks to support India's position, noting that al-Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed were eventually apprehended in populated areas rather than isolated mountain caves or remote badlands, as had been widely assumed.
"The international community rallied behind a global counter-terrorism campaign following 9/11," Parvathaneni said during the Wednesday session. "However, we must not overlook the fact that al-Qaeda's terror infrastructure expanded beyond Afghanistan through its network of affiliates and regional partners."
India specifically highlighted Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed as examples of groups that continue to benefit from what it characterises as Pakistan's accommodating stance towards militant organisations. The remarks underscore India's longstanding concerns about cross-border terrorism and Pakistan's alleged role in facilitating militant operations that threaten regional stability.