The United Nations Security Council, in a statement on terrorist attacks near the Kabul airport that called on Afghan groups not to support terrorists “operating on territory of any other country”, has dropped the reference to Taliban.
India, which assumed the rotating Presidency of the UNSC for August, signed off on the statement and issued it in its capacity as the chair for this month.
On August 16, in another statement on Afghanistan, the UNSC had adopted a different stand, warning that “neither the Taliban nor any other Afghan group or individual should support terrorists operating on the territory of any other country”.
The start contrast was pointed out by Syed Akbaruddin, India’s permanent representative at the United Nations till April last year, who said the “T word is gone”.
In diplomacy…A fortnight is a long time…The ‘T’ word is gone…Compare the marked portions of @UN Security Council statements issued on 16 August & on 27 August…