New Delhi: Asserting that the 26/11 terror attack conspirators “remain protected” and “unpunished”, India on Friday, made a concerted effort to highlight cross-border terrorism at the special meeting of the UNSC Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) in Mumbai.In his inaugural speech at the meeting, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar said that terrorism “may have plagued several regions of the world, but India understands its cost more than others”.The inaugural session of the special meeting was held at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in south Mumbai, one of the places attacked by terrorists from the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba during the November 2008 attacks.“While one of the terrorists was captured alive, prosecuted, and convicted by the highest court in India, the key conspirators and planners of the 26/11 attacks continue to remain protected and unpunished,” said Jaishankar.Taking potshots at China for putting a hold on UNSC sanctions against Pakistan-based terrorists on multiple occasions, he added, “When it comes to proscribing some of these terrorists, the Security Council has regrettably been unable to act in some cases because of political considerations. This undermines our collective credibility and our collective interests.”Earlier in the day, participants took part in a wreath-laying to pay tributes to the victims of the 26/11 attacks at the hotel.The minister stated that an essential aspect of combating terrorism is to curb terror financing effectively. “Money is the lifeblood of terrorists. Terrorist organisations require funds and resources to maintain their organisational function and undertake activities,” he said.He stressed the need for effective and sustained efforts at countering terrorism. Normative efforts at the UN must be coordinated through collaboration through other fora like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Egmont group.“Objective and evidence-based proposals for listing of terrorist groups, especially those that curb their access to financial resources, must be seen through,” he said.He said international cooperation and concerted action against terrorists and their sponsors – including through dismantling terrorist safe havens, sanctuaries, training grounds, and financial, ideological, and political support structures – are critical imperatives to defeat this scourge.Terrorism’s nexus with transnational organised crime, illicit drugs and arms trafficking is now well established. It is important to recognise these linkages and strengthen multilateral efforts to break them, he said.Over the years, terrorist groups have diversified their funding portfolio. They have also begun to exploit the anonymity of new and emerging such as virtual currencies for fund-raising and finances, Jaishankar observed.At the meeting, two senior home ministry officials made detailed presentations, one on the planning for the 26/11 attacks and another on India’s experience in combating terror financing.As part of the first presentation, an audio clip of LeT terrorist Sajid Mir directing the terrorists at Chabad House was played for the audience, which included foreign ministers and senior diplomats. In September, China blocked a proposal by the US and India to blacklist Mir under the 1267 Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.In the second presentation, the senior home ministry official claimed that the ‘grey-listing’ of India’s neighbour, Pakistan, by the international watchdog, Financial Action Task Force, was one of the reasons for the decline of militancy in Kashmir.Pakistan was put on the FATF’s so-called grey list in June 2018 for a lax regime in countering money laundering and terror funding. The FATF removed Pakistan after more than four years at the plenary this month.According to the MHA official, the discussion over the delisting of Pakistan from last year coincided with a trend of rising terror attacks in Kashmir. Following the presentations, the 15 members of the UN Security Council made their national statements.The Chinese representative at the special meeting, Wang Yanhua, vice consul general at the Consulate of China in Mumbai, stated that it was “important to respect the leading role of all countries in combating terrorism”.According to observers, the phrase “all countries” referred to Pakistan as Beijing has frequently asserted that Islamabad has also taken steps to combat terror groups. China has close ties with Pakistan in countering terror groups that target the volatile Xinjiang province.The Chinese diplomat also said that nations must avoid “mutual accusations” and prevent “politicising technical issues”.(With PTI inputs)