India Calls for Swift Adoption of International Terrorism Treaty, Citing Pahalgam Attack

United Nations, October 7 (Daily Kiran) : India has urged for the prompt adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) during discussions at the United Nations. The call comes in light of the Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 26 innocent civilians last year.

BJP MP Biplab Kumar Deb emphasized the need to hold accountable those responsible for cross-border terrorism, including the perpetrators, organizers, financiers, and sponsors. He made these remarks while addressing the UN General Assembly’s Sixth Committee, which deals with international legal matters.

The attack in Pahalgam was claimed by ‘The Resistance Front,’ a proxy group linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. Deb reiterated India’s right to protect its citizens from cross-border terrorism, asserting that Pakistan is a state sponsor of such activities. Following the Pahalgam incident, India conducted retaliatory actions against terrorist bases operating in the region.

Deb stressed the urgency of adopting the CCIT, which has been stalled for 30 years, to strengthen the international legal framework against terrorism. He highlighted that some countries have obstructed the treaty, differentiating between “good” and “bad” terrorists and arguing that it should not include “freedom fighters,” whom they classify as acceptable.

He firmly stated that there can be no distinction between “good” and “bad” terrorism, asserting that targeting civilians can never be justified. As the BJP’s national general secretary and former Chief Minister of Tripura, Deb is among the Indian delegation members at the UN.

Deb also raised concerns about how terrorists are employing new technologies for recruitment, radicalization, propaganda, operational planning, and financing. This issue is one of six key priorities for India in its fight against terrorism. Other priorities include eliminating terrorist financing, centering victims in the response, enhancing national capacity building, countering extremist ideologies, and disrupting terrorist infrastructure.