Expressing concern over the prevailing insecurity in Afghanistan, India has asked the international community to concertedly fight its "real causes" including revival of Taliban, al Qaeda and other extremist groups in the country.
During a debate on the situation in Afghanistan in the 15-member Security Council, several speakers, including Pakistani Ambassador Munir Akram, blamed lack of effective governance, widespread corruption, the inefficiency of police service, growing narcotics trade and continued war for insecure condition in parts of the country.
But Indian Ambassador Nirupam Sen cautioned against focusing on only these areas, asserting that these are not real causes of insecurity.
"These are factors which thrive on insecurity and serve to exacerbate it," he said and asked the international community to focus on the roots of insecurity in the process of rebuilding and strengthening the Afghan state.
"The snakes are still swirling because of cross border dimension," he said without naming Pakistan. Attempts at stability and security would be unavailing unless this aspect is addressed, he emphasised.
It is important, Sen told the Council, to confront the Taliban and not strike deals with them. "We believe that the cost of tolerating the spiraling violence is infinitely higher than any cost we might bear in quelling it through firm law enforcement action."
The consequences of collective inaction, Sen added, might well be borne by the international community in general but will certainly be borne by the States in the region.
He rejected suggestions that efforts to negotiate peace in the more troubled Afghan provinces are succeeding and gave statistics to support his argument.
The statistics, he said, show that in recent months, security related incidents have escalated by as much as 70 per cent and 50 per cent in Paktika and Khost provinces.
"Therefore, it not clear that efforts to negotiate peace are succeeding. Indeed, terrorist violence spreading elsewhere may suggest the opposite."
Sen said growing incidence of suicide bombings shows the increasing spread of an ideology and tactics typical of al Qaeda, which are not part of the Afghan culture or religious traditions.
"It is in this context that India emphasises the need to simultaneously implement firm and effective law enforcement measures, security sector reform programmes, capacity building measures and regional cooperation in all fields," he added.
He asked the international community to retain abiding responsibility to assist Afghanistan in consolidating democratic governance, peace and stability and long-term employment-led development while in the interim delivering humanitarian assistance.
The growth of representative political parties and the broad-basing of culture of democratic political activism, he said, are developments that should fostered since these also help in checking terrorism.
