“Zero Tolerance for Terror” Hardeep Singh Puri on 40 Years Since Kanishka Air India Terror Attack

ANI

Dublin (Ireland), June 24, 2025 (ANI): On the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Kanishka bombing, one of the first responders, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, "I have had a long professional association with issues relating to terrorism… The 1985 bombing was an act of hate; it was a crime. It was a bomb planted in Canada. There can be no justification, and that is much our stand."

Transcript

00:00I've had a long professional association

00:02with issues relating to terrorism.

00:09Between 2009 and 2013, I was assigned to New York

00:17and I was India's permanent representative to the United Nations.

00:22Just before that, the UN had established the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee

00:30after the 9-11 Acts of Terrorism.

00:40I have a quite simple understanding.

00:47An act of terror which has the impact of taking away innocent lives

00:54cannot be justified no matter how deep our differences,

01:02whether differences are political, social, ideological.

01:07And during my chairmanship of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee,

01:12by the way, earlier the Counter-Terrorism Committee was only chaired

01:16by permanent members of the Security Council,

01:20but India was given that unique honor

01:24and I was the first chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee.

01:30And we established during that, at the annual meeting in 2012,

01:36what is called the Zero-Tolerance Norm,

01:40which means an act of terror, no matter by whom it is committed,

01:45whatever be the cause for which they are committing it,

01:50it cannot be justified and it needs to be roundly condemned.

01:55And I say that with a sense of responsibility,

01:57whether the act of terror is 9-11 in the United States

02:02or 26-11 in Mumbai

02:07or the Pahlgam Massacre on 22nd April

02:12when 26 innocent people, some newly married,

02:20they were lined up against the wall,

02:23personal details were sought as to which religion they were formed

02:27and they were killed.

02:30But terror is a crime against humanity

02:34because a terrorist takes away

02:37the most fundamental right of all,

02:40the right to life.

02:42Therefore, when we gathered in the,

02:45in this beautiful ceremony,

02:50very solemn,

02:51on the island of Cork,

02:54this morning,

02:56the sentiment that was expressed

02:59not only by the Prime Minister of Ireland,

03:03I hope the pronunciation is correct,

03:06Tissou?

03:08Tissou?

03:09Tissou.

03:10Tissou.

03:11Tissou.

03:12Yes.

03:12Okay.

03:12Tissou or the visiting Minister of Canada,

03:18it was a similar sentiment.

03:21But I was particularly struck by

03:23one of the invitees who spoke,

03:26who is the current Canadian

03:30permanent representative

03:33to the United Nations in New York,

03:37Ambassador Bob Sear.

03:38Not because I used to hold that job for India,

03:43but something he said

03:44really struck a chord in me.

03:48He said that in 2005,

03:51when Stephen Harper was the Prime Minister of Canada,

03:54and I've had the privilege of knowing Stephen Harper very well,

03:56he was mandated to write a report

04:01on the 1985 Kanishka bombing.

04:06And he said categorically,

04:08not to me,

04:08but to our

04:10ANI correspondent,

04:13who has also put it out,

04:14he said,

04:15this 1985 bombing,

04:17we must realize,

04:19was an act of hate.

04:21It was a crime.

04:24It was a bomb planted in Canada.

04:27And then he went on to say

04:28there can be no justification.

04:30That is much our stand.

Category

Transcript

Recommended