Ambassador Harish, stressed that the global community must work in coordination to prevent terrorist groups from exploiting Afghan soil. He said entities and individuals designated by the UN Security Council should be denied any space for operations in Afghanistan.
At the United Nations Security Council briefing on Afghanistan, Indiaโs Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, urged the global community to take unified and coordinated action to ensure that terrorist groups no longer exploit Afghan territory.
He stressed that entities and individuals designated by the UN Security Council- including ISIL, Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jaish-e-Mohammed- as well as those enabling their operations, must be prevented from using Afghanistan as a base for planning and executing terror activities.
India reiterates support for peace, stability, and development
Ambassador Harish highlighted Indiaโs longstanding commitment to promoting peace, stability, and development in Afghanistan. He emphasised that Indiaโs immediate priorities are humanitarian assistance and capacity-building initiatives for the Afghan people.
He also underlined the importance of international and regional consensus in tackling Afghanistanโs challenges, noting that India has been engaging with all relevant stakeholders through UN-led and regional forums, including the Doha meetings.
Humanitarian assistance post-earthquake
Referring to the devastating earthquake that struck southeastern Afghanistan earlier this month, the Indian envoy recalled that India was among the first countries to provide aid. India immediately delivered 1,000 family tents and 15 tons of food supplies.
An additional 21 tons of relief materials- including medicines, hygiene kits, blankets, and generators- were dispatched, with more aid on the way. Since August 2021, India has supplied nearly 50,000 tons of wheat, 330 tons of medicines and vaccines, 40,000 litres of pesticides, and social support items reaching millions of Afghans in need.
Indiaโs development partnership with Afghanistan is reflected in more than 500 projects across provinces, in sectors like education, health, food security, and sports. Scholarships and fellowships for Afghan students, including nearly 600 women, further strengthen this engagement.
Fresh approach needed for Afghanistanโs future
Ambassador Harish cautioned against a โbusiness as usualโ stance in Afghanistan. He said that over four years of living under a sanctioned regime have yielded little in enhancing development cooperation for the Afghan people.
He urged the global community to adopt nuanced, innovative policy tools- balancing incentives for positive behaviour with disincentives for harmful actions- to genuinely support Afghan citizens.
Commitment to Afghan people unwavering
The envoy concluded by reaffirming that Indiaโs commitment to meeting Afghanistan’s developmental and humanitarian needs is non-negotiable. He pledged that India will continue to work with UN agencies, regional partners, and international organisations to ensure Afghanistan progresses towards stability, peace, and prosperity.