India tells UNSC it has suffered from cross-border terror, illicit arms trafficking

United Nations | India has suffered from cross-border terrorism carried out using illicit weapons trafficked across its borders, New Delhi's envoy at the UN has said, in a thinly-veiled reference to Pakistan.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish stressed on Monday that the UN Security Council must have a zero-tolerance approach towards those who facilitate and sponsor the use and movement of such weapons.

“India has fought the scourge of terrorism for several decades and is therefore aware of the dangers posed by the diversion and illicit transfer of small arms and ammunition to armed non-State actors and terrorist groups,” Harish said Monday at the UN Security Council Open Debate on Small Arms.

Harish's remarks in the UN headquarters came hours after a deadly and high-intensity explosion rocked the Red Fort area in New Delhi and killed at least nine people while injuring many more.

The explosion ripped through a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening.

“India has suffered due to cross-border terrorism carried out using illicit weapons trafficked across our borders, including now through the use of drones,” Harish said, in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

“The increase in the volume and sophistication of such arsenals reminds us that these groups cannot sustain themselves without being enabled, financed or supported,” he added.

India told the powerful UN Security Council that the illicit trafficking of small arms and related ammunition continues to be a major factor sustaining armed groups and terrorist organisations.

“The consistent access of such entities to weapons highlights the need for coordinated action to prevent their acquisition. The Security Council must continue to uphold a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and to those who facilitate, sponsor, finance or enable the use and movement of such weapons,” Harish said.

India also stressed that arms embargoes authorised by the Council are an important tool to restrict the flow of weapons into conflict zones and must be implemented consistently, objectively and without selectivity.

Harish noted that the illicit trade, trafficking and diversion of small arms and light weapons remain a major threat to international peace and security.

As a complex and multidimensional problem, it has a cross-cutting impact on development, security, humanitarian and socio-economic aspects, he said.

Emphasising that India attaches high importance to preventing, combating and eradicating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, Harish said an integrated approach to their management requires addressing both the security and developmental dimensions.

He outlined key elements that are critical for effective small arms and light weapons control, including national ownership through strong legislation and political commitment, and a standardised organisational structure for coordinated action.

Effective data management to enable real-time tracing and accountability, risk management to prevent diversion and misuse, and security protocols and deterrence measures to strengthen border controls, and stockpile management, are also important for the control of these, he said.

He pointed out that the report of the Secretary-General on ‘Small arms and light weapons' notes that the diversion and illicit trafficking of such weapons continue to sustain terrorist groups and armed organisations in several conflict-affected regions.

It highlights that porous borders, weak stockpile security and cross-border trafficking networks enable the steady flow of such weapons, while improvised and craft-produced weapons further complicate tracing and accountability.

India underscored that international cooperation is indispensable in preventing diversion, disrupting trafficking networks, improving customs and border coordination, and enabling timely intelligence and information exchange.

Harish said India supports the redoubling of efforts at the national and global level to strengthen the implementation of the UN Programme of Action (PoA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI), including through national legislative measures and enforcement, export controls, information sharing and capacity building.

He reiterated India's firm commitment to preventing the misuse of small arms and light weapons by terrorist groups and thereby continues to contribute to the global fight against terrorism.