India hails UN move to set up counterterrorism office

India has welcomed an initiative by United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres to create a new office for counter-terrorism and stressed the nations should not allow “turf battles” to “hobble” the proposal. “Every day our collective conscience is being ravaged by terrorists. It is in this background of growing concerns, that we greatly appreciate the secretary general’s initiative to promptly address the need to enhance coordination of the UN’s counter-terrorism efforts,” India’s permanent representative to the UN ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said.