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"Al Qaeda’s linkages with Security Council proscribed terrorist entities like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed has continued to strengthen," India said at the United Nations International Counter Terrorism Conference on Tuesday, 18 January.
India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador TS Tirumurti, stated:
Emphasising the duty of all member states of the UN to fulfil their obligations towards countering terrorism, the Indian envoy said, "Terrorists are terrorists; there are no good and bad ones. Those who propagate this distinction have an agenda. And those who cover up for them are just as culpable."
Contemporary forms of religiophobia that have emerged, such as anti-Hindu, anti-Sikh, and anti-Buddhist phobias, are a matter of concern, Ambassador Tirumurti said at the UN event.
"Another trend which has of late become prominent is highlighting certain religious phobias. The UN has highlighted some of them over the years, namely, those based on Islamophobia, Christianophobia and antisemitism – the three Abrahamic religions. These three find mention in the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. But new phobias, hatred or bias against other major religions of the world need to also be fully recognised," he said at the conference.
Alluding to D-company head Dawood Ibrahim, who believed to be hiding in Pakistan, Tirumurti stated, "We have seen the crime syndicate responsible for the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts not just given state protection but enjoying 5-star hospitality."
Pakistan had in 2020 acknowledged the presence of 1993 blasts mastermind Ibrahim on its soil.
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