India to be at forefront to ensure those supporting terror don't hamper collective path to recovery from COVID

India will be at the forefront to ensure that those supporting terrorism, violent extremism and radicalisation do not waylay us on our collective path to resilience and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the country's envoy at the United Nations has said.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti, speaking at the UN General Assembly General Debate of the Second Committee on Crisis, Resilience and Recovery Accelerating Progress towards the 2030 Agenda' on Friday, said that forces inimical to us are posing challenges as the world grapples with the challenges of the pandemic and climate change.

We meet at a time when the Covid crisis is nowhere near the end. However, with the introduction of vaccines, there is hope that we will finally be able to turn the corner The message to the world is for the international community to come together to combat the pandemic and build a resilient system that will drive our recovery, he said.

Terrorism, hate, radicalisation and extremism, infodemic and challenges to pluralism, human rights and democracy have only increased.

We can never truly put our countries on the path to recovery unless we combat these wholeheartedly and purposefully and call out those who seek to justify these acts, Tirumurti said.

Without naming any country, he underlined that "India will be at the forefront to ensure those supporting terrorism, violent extremism, radicalisation among others do not waylay us on our collective path to resilience and recovery.

The United States, India and Afghanistan have long accused Pakistan of providing safe havens to terror groups like the Taliban, the Haqqani network, the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

According to a Congressional report on terrorism issued last month, Pakistan is home to at least 12 groups designated as foreign terrorist organisations' by the US, including five of them being India-centric like the LeT and JeM.

US officials have identified Pakistan as a base of operations or target for numerous armed and non-state militant groups, some of which have existed since the 1980s, the independent Congressional Research Service said in the report.

In his address, Tirumurti further said India's commitment to development partnership with developing countries remains strong and robust.

We will continue to work together in a spirit of South-South Cooperation, especially with Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

While funds have, understandably, been diverted for humanitarian assistance, the immediate should not fully displace medium-term recovery and progress, he added.