India has called for concerted global efforts to dismantle terrorist safe havens to isolate groups like Pakistan-based Haqqani network which threatens peace and security in the South Asian region. “The international community needs to step up its collective efforts with real cooperation among member states to confront the scourge of terrorism squarely and decisively,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri said during a Security Council joint debate on counter terrorism here yesterday. “We need concerted action against terrorists and their sponsors, including the complete dismantling of terrorist safe havens, sanctuaries, training grounds and financial and ideological support structures,” he said. India, which chairs the UNSC Counter Terrorism Committee, said the international community needs to adopt a holistic approach that ensures zero-tolerance towards terrorism. Welcoming the UN sanctions against the Haqqani network, Puri said the terror group has targeted Indian interests in the past. “The unity of the international community is critical in isolating such terror groups which threaten peace and security in our region, and other parts of the world,” he said adding that the linkages between Al-Qaida and Taliban need to be comprehensively and objectively examined as these pose a serious threat to international peace and security. Puri voiced India’s “unwavering” commitment to support international efforts in preventing non-state actors and terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. “The international community must continue to strengthen its efforts to eliminate the risks relating to sensitive materials and technologies falling into the hands of terrorists and non-state actors. The international response to the threat needs to be national as well as multilateral and global,” he said. PTI
