UNITED NATIONS, Oct 20: India has urged the international community to exercise heightened vigilance over the transfer of sensitive and dual-use technologies, particularly to entities with a history of proliferation or links to terrorism, warning of the danger of weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of extremist groups.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly’s First Committee on disarmament and international security on Monday, Lok Sabha MP Alok Kumar Suman stressed that terrorism continues to pose a serious challenge to global security.
“India is deeply concerned about the risk of weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of terrorists and non-state actors,” Suman said, calling on UN member states to strengthen their vigilance against potentially dangerous technology transfers.
He urged countries to pay particular attention to recipients with a record of proliferation or connections to terrorist organisations. The remarks appeared to allude to Pakistan and the international nuclear proliferation network associated with Pakistani nuclear scientist A Q Khan.
Khan, widely regarded as the architect of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme, headed an international network that supplied nuclear technology, equipment and expertise to countries seeking to develop nuclear capabilities. The US State Department has described the network as a one-stop source for countries pursuing nuclear weapons development.
Suman is among the Indian parliamentarians participating in the second cohort of a familiarisation visit to the United Nations headquarters. During their stay, the lawmakers are scheduled to engage with senior UN officials, diplomats and members of the Indian diaspora.
Highlighting India’s longstanding efforts to prevent terrorist groups from obtaining weapons of mass destruction, Suman noted that New Delhi has been tabling a resolution titled Measures to Prevent Terrorists from Acquiring Weapons of Mass Destruction since 2002.
The initiative reflects India’s continued emphasis on strengthening international cooperation to prevent non-state actors from accessing dangerous materials, expertise and technologies that could be used to develop or deploy prohibited weapons.
India also reiterated its commitment to the full, effective and non-discriminatory implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention.
New Delhi’s intervention underscored the importance of coordinated global action to prevent the misuse of scientific advancements and sensitive technologies, while ensuring that international efforts to curb proliferation are implemented consistently across countries.