New Delhi: Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, India’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) announced that India has abstained from voting on a UN Security Council resolution concerning Afghanistan, citing ongoing concerns about the use of Afghan territory by designated terrorist groups.
“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 and individuals designated by the UN Security Council, the Al Qaeda and their affiliates, ISIL and their affiliates, including Lashkar-e-Taeba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, along with their regional sponsors who facilitate their operations, no longer exploit the Afghan territory for terrorist activities,” Harish said in his statement at the UN.
New Delhi has consistently raised alarms over terror networks operating across the region, calling for international accountability and stronger action against those who enable such acts.
Harish noted that on the political front, external affairs minister S Jaishankar recently spoke with the acting foreign minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi. India welcomed “the strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack” of April 22 by the Afghan side.
“This conversation followed a meeting between India’s foreign secretary and the acting foreign minister, where both sides discussed various bilateral issues and regional developments,” Harish said.
Jaishankar had spoken with Muttaqi in May, his first interaction with the Taliban’s 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 posted on X after the meeting.
“Underlined our traditional friendship with the Afghan people and continuing support for their development needs. Discussed ways and means of taking cooperation forward,” he had added.
Reaffirming India’s longstanding partnership with the Afghan people, Harish underscored that India’s decision was based on both principle and pragmatism. “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,” he said.
“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.
He stated that India’s immediate priorities in Afghanistan include providing humanitarian assistance and implementing capacity-building initiatives for the Afghan people. “India’s commitment to Afghanistan’s reconstruction is demonstrated through more than 500 development partnership projects across all provinces,” Harish said.
