The Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram attended the fourth South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation (SAARC) interior/home ministers meeting at Thimpu, Bhutan last week.
In his opening remarks, Chidambaram reiterated India’s continuing commitment to eliminate the menace of terrorism.
Chidambaram said, “I would like to reiterate India’s continuing commitment to discharge its responsibilities in SAARC in an effective manner. Here, I would like to recall the fruitful meeting that we had during the Conference of the Interior/Home Ministers of SAARC countries in Islamabad in June 2010 where we last met. We agreed, inter-alia, on the broad contours of cooperation to combat terrorism. I am sure that all of us are equally committed to our common endeavour in eliminating the menace of terrorism.”
The process of taking forward a proactive agenda on cooperation in the neighbourhood is integrally connected with shared ability to cooperate in eliminating the threats posed by terrorists, drug traffickers, arms smugglers and others whose activities affect the safety and security of the neighbouring people.
“Terrorism is the most significant existential challenge to peace and security in our region. It is the single largest hindrance to socio-economic development in South Asia. The lives and safety of our people continue to remain at significant risk from targeted, deliberate and cowardly terrorist outrages,” Chidambaram stated.
“Since this is a common challenge that has affected most of us, it is clear that only with the fullest cooperation amongst us can we tackle the threat of terrorism. We have no alternative but to deploy the best instruments and resources at our disposal in our fight against terrorism. It is from this perspective that we need to examine the existing mechanisms we have for countering terrorism, drug trafficking, trafficking in human beings, arms smuggling and counterfeiting including organized production and distribution of fake Indian currency notes,” he added.
The South Asian region is perhaps the most troubled and vulnerable region in the world. The vast majority of major terrorist incidents this year – as well as last year – have occurred in the region. Terrorist groups in the region have flourished because of the support they have found from State and non-State actors.
“As long as the territory of a country is used by non-State actors to prepare for terrorist attacks, that country owes a legal and moral responsibility to its neighbours and to the world to suppress those non-State actors and bring them to justice,” Chidambaram remarked.
“What we need now is to be more proactive in implementing our resolutions in letter and spirit. For instance, there is much more we can do in sharing information on a real-time basis on terrorism and all forms of organized criminal activity. Take the case of our existing Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, signed nearly three years ago at the 15th Summit. If we act on the provisions of the Convention, it will facilitate evidence-sharing and the seizure and confiscation of criminal and terrorist funds,” Chidambaram said.