India at UN Links 9/11 Plotters to Terror Concerns, Backs Afghan Returnees
India told the UN Security Council that the circumstances surrounding the sheltering of 9/11 plotters remain relevant to regional terrorism concerns and urged safe, voluntary returns for Afghans.
India told the UN Security Council that the environment in which senior al-Qaeda figures linked to the 9/11 attacks were able to operate continues to raise concerns about terrorism in the region. Speaking during a UNSC meeting on Afghanistan, India’s Permanent Representative Harish Parvathaneni referred to the locations where several 9/11 figures were later captured and linked the issue to what India described as continued space for groups including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Parvathaneni said Osama bin Laden was found in a compound in Abbottabad, while Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other senior al-Qaeda figures were captured in residential or urban settings in Pakistan. He argued that the international community must address networks that provide support, financing or sanctuary to terrorist organisations.
The remarks came days after the Security Council commemorated 25 years since the September 11 attacks and reaffirmed its condemnation of terrorism.
India also raised the humanitarian situation involving Afghans returning from Pakistan and Iran. It called for returns to be voluntary, safe and dignified, along with sustained support for reintegration. The UN has projected millions of Afghan returns in 2026 and launched a $529.2 million response plan covering emergency assistance and longer-term reintegration.
India said it was providing assistance to Afghan returnees and also criticised restrictions affecting Afghanistan’s trade and transit.
