New York, Sep 22: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday took a veiled dig at China for blocking India's attempt to blacklist a JeM terrorist, saying some countries have facilitated impunity "when it comes to sanctioning some of the world's most dreaded terrorists."
China had recently put a hold on a proposal moved at the United Nations by the US and co-supported by India to designate Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Sajid Mir, one of India's most wanted terrorists and the main handler of the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks, as a global terrorist.
Speaking at the UNSC briefing on Ukraine 'Fight against impunity', the minister said politics should never ever provide cover to evade accountability.
"Nor indeed to facilitate impunity. Regrettably, we have seen this of late in this very chamber, when it comes to sanctioning some of the world's most dreaded terrorists." "If egregious attacks committed in broad daylight are left unpunished, this Council must reflect on the signals we are sending on impunity. There must be consistency if we are to ensure credibility," ANI quoted him as saying.
Mir is one of India's most wanted terrorists and has a bounty of USD 5 million placed on his head by the US for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
In June this year, he was jailed for over 15 years in a terror-financing case by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan, which is struggling to exit the grey list of the FATF.
Talking about the Ukraine conflict, he said that the need of the hour is to end the conflict in Ukraine and return to the negotiating table. "This Council is the most powerful symbol of diplomacy. It must continue to live up to its purpose," he said.
He also recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent remarks during his meeting with Vladimir Putin at the SCO summit that this cannot be an era of war.
"The trajectory of the Ukraine conflict is a matter of profound concern for the entire international community. The outlook appears truly disturbing. In a globalized world, its impact is being felt even in distant regions. We have all experienced its consequences in terms of higher costs and actual shortages of food grains, fertilizers and fuel. The global south, especially, is feeling the pain acutely. We must not initiate measures that further complicate the global economy," Jaishankar said.
"That is why India is strongly reiterating the need for an immediate cessation of all hostilities and a return to dialogue and diplomacy. Clearly, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized, this cannot be an era of war," he added. Referring to the specific topic before the Council, Jaishankar emphasized that even in conflict situations, there can be no justification for violation of human rights or of international law.
"Where any such acts occur, it is imperative that they are investigated in an objective and independent manner. This was the position that we took with regard to the killings in Bucha. This is the position even today. The Council will also recall that we had then supported calls for an independent investigation into that incident," he said. Jaishankar said the fight against impunity is critical to the larger pursuit of securing peace and justice. "The Security Council must send an unambiguous and unequivocal message on this count."
"This Council is the most powerful symbol of diplomacy. It must continue to live up to its purpose," he said.