'Must Ensure UN-Designated Outfits Don't Exploit Afghanistan For Terror Acts': India At UNGA

Last Updated:July 08, 2025, 00:41 IST

At UNGA session, India welcomed the strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack by Afghanistan.

India abstains from UNGA resolution on Afghanistan (ANI Image)

Welcoming Afghanistan’s strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, India on Monday called upon the international community in the United Nations General Assembly to ensure outfits or terrorists designated by the UNSC “no longer exploit the Afghan territory for terrorist activities".

India reiterated its historic ties with the people of Afghanistan and affirmed its commitment to developmental needs of the country..

However, India abstained on a draft resolution on Afghanistan, noting that a “business as usual" approach is unlikely to deliver outcomes that the world community envisions for the Afghans.

This comes as the 193-member UN General Assembly adopted a draft resolution, introduced by Germany on ‘The situation in Afghanistan’. The resolution was adopted with with 116 votes in favour, while two votes against it. There were 12 abstentions, including by India.

Permanent Representative of India to the UN in New York, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, explained India’s position on Afghanistan and began by welcoming the condemnation by Afghanistan of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians on April 22 this year.

“We welcome the strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack of April 22, 2025, by the Afghan side…The international community must direct its coordinated efforts towards ensuring that entities & individuals designated by the UN Security Council, the Al Qaeda and their affiliates, ISIL and their affiliates, including Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, along with their regional sponsors who facilitate their operations, no longer exploit the Afghan territory for terrorist activities," he said.

He noted that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke with the Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi in May, in his first interaction with the Taliban acting foreign minister.

“Good conversation with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi this evening. Deeply appreciate his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Welcomed his firm rejection of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and baseless reports," Jaishankar had then said.

In the explanation of vote, Ambassador Harish said that an approach focused only on “punitive measures" is “unlikely to succeed" and noted that any coherent policy to address a post-conflict situation must combine a mix of policy instruments – incentivising positive behaviour and disincentivising harmful actions.

“An approach focused only on punitive measures, in our view, is unlikely to succeed. The United Nations and the broader international community have adopted more balanced and nuanced approaches in other post-conflict contexts. A ‘business as usual’ approach, without new and targeted initiatives, is unlikely to deliver the outcomes the international community envisions for the Afghan people," he said.

“I would like to reiterate India’s historic ties with the people of Afghanistan and our enduring commitment to meeting their humanitarian and developmental needs. While we remain committed to continued engagement with all relevant stakeholders and broadly support the international community’s efforts towards a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Afghanistan, India has decided to abstain on this resolution," Harish added.

(With inputs from agencies)

Ashesh Mallick

Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes...Read More

Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes...

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News world 'Must Ensure UN-Designated Outfits Don't Exploit Afghanistan For Terror Acts': India At UNGA