By IANS,
United Nations: Warning against unworkable divisions between “good” and “bad” Taliban, India has said efforts at reconciliation in Afghanistan must go hand-in-hand with the shutting down of support and sanctuaries provided to terrorist groups across the border.
“Security and stabilisation of Afghanistan will remain a distant goal unless we are able to root out the elements of Al Qaeda, Taliban and other terrorist and extremist groups operating from within and outside Afghanistan’s borders,” Indian delegate Khagen Das told the UN General Assembly Monday.
Noting that civilians, humanitarian personnel, international and UN staff and diplomatic personnel – including the Indian Mission in Kabul – have been targeted in terrorist attacks, Das said the increase in terrorist actions in Afghanistan was “linked to the support and sanctuaries available in the contiguous areas”.
“There is an increasing recognition that the increase in terrorist actions in Afghanistan is linked to the support and sanctuaries available in the contiguous areas,” said Das, a member of Indian parliament, without naming Pakistan. “That explains the particularly high-level of violence in the border areas of Afghanistan.”
Noting that “the challenge from a resurgent Taliban and Al Qaeda is real, and it is one that threatens us all,” he said “perseverance and tenacity are critical to handle the challenge posed by Al Qaeda, Taliban and other terrorists and extremist groups squarely and effectively.”
Turning to reconciliation, the Indian delegate said: “Without consensus amongst relevant parties over key issues, such as reconciliation with whom and how, we may well be dividing ourselves; not those we seek to ‘peel away’ from terrorist groups.”
“It is for this reason that we must go beyond unworkable divisions between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Taliban,” Das said asserting that “Terrorism cannot be compartmentalised.”
Suggesting extreme caution “while moving forward on this sensitive issue,” he said India supported the Afghan government’s determination to integrate those willing to abjure violence and live and work within the parameters of the Afghan constitution, which provides the framework for a pluralistic and democratic society.
“This should, of course, go hand-in-hand with the shutting down of support and sanctuaries provided to terrorist groups across the border,” he said.