Concerted action needed for Afghanistan to eliminate syndicate of terror: India

United Nations, Nov 22 (PTI) India has said concerted action with strong political will is needed to root out "the syndicate of terror" operating from within and outside Afghanistan's borders. In a statement to the UN General Assembly Monday on 'The situation in Afghanistan', India's Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri said terror groups like Al-Qaeda, Taliban and Laskar-e-Taiba operating from within and outside Afghanistan's borders are "ideologically and operationally fused" and their bonds have strengthened over the years. "We are seriously concerned that there has been no let up in terrorist violence," Puri said, citing the assassination of former Afghan President Burhanudin Rabbani and senior Afghan leaders including President Karzai's brother Ahmad Wali Karzai. "We need concerted action to isolate and root out the syndicate of terrorism, including al-Qaeda, Taliban and Laskar-e-Taiba. We need resolute determination and political will to firmly deal with safe havens for terrorist groups outside Afghanistan's borders," Puri said. The 193-member General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution, co-sponsored by India, calling for increased efforts in the areas of security, justice and governance, social and economic development, reconciliation and integration, regional cooperation and strategic partnerships in Afghanistan. The Afghan people deserve to live in peace and decide their future for themselves, "without outside interference, coercion and intimidation," Puri said, adding that all countries of the region must work to facilitate this. "Recent history has shown that an end to Afghanistan's suffering requires an end to external interference in its internal affairs," Puri added. As US and NATO forces prepare to exit Afghanistan by the end of 2014, the international community should focus its efforts in ensuring that the transition must be Afghan owned, planned and implemented in a systematic manner taking into account the ground realities. "We need concerted international and regional efforts towards laying the foundations of lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan. Sustained and tangible progress on security, governance and development issues is the key for peace, progress and stability in Afghanistan," Puri said. He said Afghanistan needs assistance to build its capacity to tackle the critical challenges of terrorism including suicide terrorism, the religious extremism that fuels it and the drug trafficking that sustains it. Puri said India supports further strengthening of the Afghan National Security Forces as their operational capabilities have to be enhanced so that they can preserve the sovereignty and independence of their nation. The continuing resilience of insurgents in Afghanistan and their ability to target areas otherwise considered safe and secure indicates that the security gains are still tenuous. The latest Secretary General's report notes that the average monthly number of security incidents is up 39 per cent as compared to the same period in 2010. Having shared "age-old" cultural and economic ties with Afghanistan, India believes in a strong, stable and democratic Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbours, Puri said. "India fully supports an Afghan-led and Afghan owned inclusive and transparent process of reconciliation, accompanied by an inclusive political process and intra-Afghan dialogue and include renunciation of violence, cutting of ties to terrorist groups, abiding by the Afghan constitution with its protections for human rights, including the rights of women," the envoy said. Puri informed the General Assembly that India has pledged up to two billion dollars in development and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and has also signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement for future political, security and trade and economic cooperation. "Cooperation linking our region with Central Asia through Afghanistan could be a critical confidence building measure," he said, adding that India will stand by the people of Afghanistan as they prepare to assume the responsibility for their governance and security after the withdrawal of international forces in 2014. The UN resolution also called for a stronger rule of law and emphasized the importance of building up Afghanistan's capacity to promote and protect human rights, especially those of women, and strongly condemned incidents of discrimination and violence against them, in particular those directed against women activists and women prominent in public life. PTI