India seeks cooperation between FATF, UN to combat terror financing

India has strongly condemned any direct or indirect financial assistance to terrorists and terror groups by nations that enables m to pursue ir activities, including in defending criminal cases against m. Speaking at a General Assembly Sixth Committee meeting on measures to eliminate international terrorism', First Secretary/Legal viser in India's Permanent Mission to UN Yedla Umasankar on Wednesday called for increased cooperation between Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and UN to combat terror financing.

'FATF has a significant role in setting global standards'

" flow of resources meant to produce terror are required to be stopped by States for which collective inter-State efforts are required at regional and sub-regional levels. FATF has a significant role in setting global standards for preventing and combating terrorist financing and UN needs to increase cooperation with such bodies", Umasankar said. He said, "India strongly condemns direct or indirect financial assistance given to terrorist groups or individual members reof by States or its machineries, to pursue ir activities, including in defending criminal cases involving terrorist acts against m." 

Pakistan's request to UN Security Council

India's comments come as Pakistan h requested UN Security Council's anti-terror committee to allow Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed to withdraw money from his bank account for basic expenses. Saeed, a UN-designated terrorist on whom US has placed a USD 10 million bounty, was arrested on July 17 this year in a terror-financing case in Pakistan. He was listed under UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008. According to UN provisions, all states are required to freeze funds and or financial assets or ecomic resources of designated individuals. resolution also provides for states to sanction basic expenses of designated individuals if re is -objection over it.

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Umasankar said India strongly believes that terrorism can be countered by combined international efforts, stressing that UN is best suited for developing this transnational effort. He lamented that current measures to combat terrorism are having little impact on ground. " Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (GCTS) being discussed by UN General Assembly over last dece has resulted in little impact on ground. Sanctions Committees established by UN Security Council have become selective tools due to opaque working methods and politicized decision making," he said. He reiterated India's firm belief that Comprehensive Convention against International Terrorism (CCIT) will provide a strong legal basis for fight against terrorism and will be in interest of all Member States to have a multilateral and collective dimension of counter-terrorism effort.

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" inability to agree on a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism remains one of great gaps in international legislative framework that would strengn efforts to destroy safe havens for terrorists, ir financial flows and ir support networks. We need to move forward in opting draft text of CCIT which is a balanced one and has emerged after long discussions," he said. In this regard, he said, "India reiterates its strong support to General Assembly Resolution of December 2018 that recommends Sixth Committee at 74th Session to establish Working Group with a view to finalising process on Draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism." " General Assembly, with voice and moral authority of entire international community, must guide efforts to develop a framework of international law within which action can be taken against terrorism", he ded.

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India condemns terrorism in all its forms

Asserting that India condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and cause whatsoever or grievance can justify terrorism, including State-sponsored cross-border terrorism, Umasankar said, " international community needs to opt and implement a policy of zero-tolerance towards terrorism. menace of international terrorism with its wide roots and numerous global connections has been recognized as a grave international concern by every major international garing of recent years." Umasankar said, ding that growing inter-links between terrorist groups, cross-border operations including terror financing networks, propagating ideologies of hatred through exploitation of modern techlogies and funding arms and weapons have certainly left country aloof from impact of terrorism. He ted that it is a self-evident truth that democratic, secular and multicultural societies are prime targets of terrorism and have become most vulnerable to its attacks.

"Terrorists exploit civil liberties, religious tolerance and cultural diversity in our countries. y seek to destroy democratic fabric by fomenting sectarian divisions and cultural tensions and ultimately deprive us of that very freedom which y have exploited." He voiced India's commitment to counter-terrorism by exchanging information, building capacities for effective border controls, preventing misuse of modern techlogies, monitoring illicit financial flows and cooperating in investigation and judicial procedures.

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