Says Uri terror attack one in series of dastardly act with origin beyond India’s borders
By Bisheshwar Mishra / New Delhi
India’s Intelligence Bureau chief Dineshwar Sharma today appealed all members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to impose sanction against terrorist entities and individuals.
Speaking at the two day SAARC convention which began here today, the director general of IB Mr Sharma called upon nations to “strictly enforce internationally mandated sanctions against terrorist entities and individuals.” Addressing the second meeting of the High Level Group f Eminent Experts to strengthen the SAARC Anti Terrorism Mechanism.
The IB chief also beseached the eight member states to ratify and enable various Conventions enacted by the SAARC grouping, including the Convention on Suppression of Terrorism and Additional Protocols and Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters.
Pointing that the two-day meeting was taking place at a time when the sentiments of the nation was incensed by the terror strike auchestrated from across the border on Indian soldiers in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir in which as many as 18 soldiers were martyred and an equal number were greviously injured.
Without naming Pakistan, the IB chief said that this attack was one of the “many such series of acts over the past few decades for which planning, financing, training, arming and indoctrination on religious line owed their origin to sources across India’s border.”
Stressing that terrorism had emerged as a big challenge for the entire world, Mr Sharma said “no country today is in a position to tackle this problem on its own. Close cooperation and sharing of real-time intelligence are, therefore, imperative for all of us to secure our countries and our peoples.”
He said the terrorist organisations use easily accessible technology to attack both soft and hard targets. Self-radicalisation over internet and social media, and spread of influence of Islamic State all over, including in our country, has added new dimensions to the threat, he added.
He stressed that countering financing of terrorism as one of the most important tools to fight the terror menace. Similarly cyberspace, he said had become an important area for radicalisation and spread of jihadi materials. Besides, the problem of fake currency feeds into supporting terrorism and can create economic destabilization in our region, he added.
Pointing out that the First Meeting on the SAARC Anti-Terrorism Mechanism in February 2012 had stressed upon the need for immediate operationalization of the newly created SAARC Terrorist Offences Monitoring Desk and SAARC Drug Offences Monitoring Desk at Colombo for creating database which could be used by all members, Mr Sharma however lamented that not much progress had taken place on this initiative. He also called upon the delegates to take up ‘Terror Financing and Money Laundering’ and ‘Cyber Crime’ as new agenda items.
Meeting of a High Level Group of Eminent Experts to strengthen the SAARC Anti-Terrorism Mechanism was recommended by the SAARC Ministerial Declaration on Cooperation in Combating Terrorism (adopted by the 31st Meeting of SAARC Council of Ministers in Colombo, February 2009). India had hosted its first meeting in New Delhi from 9-10 February 2012.
Hosting the meeting for the second time, it is in line with the high priority India attaches for regional cooperation in Anti-Terrorism activities and given that terrorism remains the single biggest threat to peace, stability and progress in the region and beyond. The meeting provides a platform for discussing and identifying measures to tackle this menace threatening our societies.