In his first intervention at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) since India assumed membership on January 1, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, slammed Pakistan on Tuesday saying the crime syndicate responsible for the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts was “not just given State protection but enjoying 5-star hospitality”.
He was was referring to fugitive terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, who — according to Delhi — lives in Pakistan. In August 2020, Pakistan had for the first time acknowledged the presence of Ibrahim on its soil after the government imposed sweeping sanctions on 88 banned terror groups and their leaders — which also included Ibrahim’s name.
“Linkages between terrorism and transnational organised crime must be fully recognised and addressed vigorously. We, in India, have seen the crime syndicate responsible for the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts not just given State protection but enjoying 5-star hospitality,” he said, while speaking at a UNSC open debate on ‘International cooperation in combating terrorism 20 years after the adoption of resolution 1373’.
Jaishankar said the international community must not allow terrorism to be justified nor, terrorists glorified.