Terror groups re-branding themselves as humanitarian bodies: India at UN

India on Tuesday made a veiled attack on Pakistan, saying terrorist groups in the neighbourhood have re-branded themselves as humanitarian organisations to evade sanctions, news agency PTI reported.

“It is imperative that sanctions do not impede legitimate humanitarian requirements. However, it is important to exercise due diligence while providing humanitarian carve-outs, especially in cases where terrorism finds safe-havens,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti was quoted by PTI.

Speaking at a UN Security Council Open Debate Tirumurti said there have been examples of terrorist groups taking full advantage of humanitarian carve-outs, “making a mockery of sanction regimes,” including that of 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee.

“There have also been several cases of terrorist groups in our neighbourhood, including those listed by this Council, re-branding themselves as humanitarian organisations to evade these sanctions,” he said, making a reference to terror organisations based in Pakistan.

“These terrorist organisations use the umbrella of the humanitarian space to raise funds, recruit fighters and even use human shields. Under the garb of the humanitarian cover provided by such exemptions, these terrorist groups continue to expand their terror activities in the region and beyond. Due diligence, therefore, is an absolute must,” he said.

Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa has a charity wing Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation. In 2019, these were banned by Pakistan amid intense global pressure to rein in the terror groups following the Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF soldiers. Saeed was listed under UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008.

However, the Lahore High Court in November last year had acquitted six members of Hafiz Saeed’s outfit Jamat-ud-Dawa in a terror financing case. The high court had set aside the trial court’s life imprisonment sentence to five JuD members.

India’s UN ambassador said while the sanction regimes have served well in the global fight against terrorism, preventive diplomacy efforts, assisting member states in implementing peace agreements and against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the regimes must not be an end in themselves.

Tirumurti noted that the sanctions committees continue to face significant challenges in overseeing the sanctions measures related to technical violations of the arms embargo, objections by humanitarian partners to the reporting requirement, questions about the working of the Panel of Experts, and in some cases, non-cooperation by member states.

Remember, Pakistan continues to remain on grey list by global anti-terror watchdog Financial Action Task Force. The FATF in October last year had urged Islamabad to take more stringent actions and prosecute UN-designated terror organisations involved in terror funding.