NEW DELHI, Nov 19 (PTI): In a veiled attack on Pakistan, Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday said some countries repeatedly support terrorists and have made terrorism their state policy, and underscored the need for a “strict economic crackdown” in these terror havens.
Shah also said the international community will have to make up their minds on how to deal with these countries by rising above their geo-political interests and continue to fight “shoulder-to-shoulder” against the increasingly complex and borderless threat, a view also shared by external affairs minister S Jaishankar.
“No country or organisation can successfully combat terrorism, alone,” Shah said.
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Jaishankar made a strong pitch for an “undifferentiated and undiluted” approach to dealing with terrorism and urged nations to rise above political divides to address the menace. “Terror is terror and no political spin can ever justify it.”
“We will shine the spotlight on this peril – and all those involved in nurturing and furthering it,” Jaishankar said while speaking about the commitment by India and like-minded partners to highlight the existential threats that terrorism poses to global security and stability.
Shah and Jaishankar were addressing the 3rd ‘No Money for Terror’ Ministerial Conference on Counter-Terrorism Financing.
The two-day conference that ended on Saturday was organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs and attended by 450 delegates from over 75 nations and international organisations.
Officials said Pakistan and Afghanistan are not participating in the meet while China was invited but did not come.
Addressing the closing session, Shah also highlighted six priority issues, including eliminating the use of illegal channels, cash couriers and ‘hawala’ by terror networks.
“Some countries, their governments, and their agencies have made ‘terrorism’ their state policy. In these terror havens, it is necessary to shackle their unrestrained activities along with a strict economic crackdown.
“All the countries of the world will have to make up their minds on this, rising above their geo-political interests,” he said.
The home minister said it is being observed that some countries repeatedly support terrorists and those who harbour terrorism. “I believe that terrorism has no international boundaries, so all countries should think beyond politics and cooperate with each other.”
At the same time, Shah said all countries will have to agree on one common definition of ‘terrorism’ and ‘terror financing’ as it is an issue of the protection of the citizens, and their human and democratic rights and it should not become a political issue. Everyone should fight this war against terrorism and terrorist groups, in every geographical space, in every virtual space, he added.
Shah said there have been many instances when, under the guise of other motives, some organisations promote terrorism and radicalisation at the national and international levels.
“Terrorists understand information technology and cyberspace very well. They also understand the sensitivity of the public and tend to exploit them. Cyberspace today has become a major battleground in the fight against terrorism.”
He also drew the attention of the delegates towards the six priority issues. They are: preventing diversion from legal financial instruments by fighting anonymity in financial networks; restricting the use of proceeds of other crimes for terrorist activities; preventing use of new financial technologies, virtual assets like crypto-currencies, wallets etc., for terror activities; eliminating the use of illegal channels, cash couriers, ‘hawala’ by terror networks; prevention of the use of Non-Profit Organisation, NPOs sector to spread terror ideology and continuous capacity building of counter-terror and financial intelligence agencies of all countries.
The home minister said every country will have to identify and act against organisations pushing youths towards radicalisation and take stringent action against them.
Describing terrorism as the biggest enemy of democracy, human rights, economic progress and world peace, he said terrorism cannot be allowed to succeed, reminding everyone that it has taken such a formidable form that its effects are visible at every level.
Shah said nations cannot think of a fear-free society, a fear-free world without an effective, long-term, concerted fight against all forms of terrorism.
He noted that it has also been found that some organisations tend to become the medium of financing terrorism.
Recently, the government of India has banned an organisation that conspired to radicalise the youth and push them towards terrorism and that every country should identify and take stringent action against such organisations, he said, referring to the recent action taken against the radical Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI).
Jaishankar said the scale and intensity of terrorist threat has increased in recent years due to continued tendency of some to use terrorism as a tool of state-craft and willingness of others to justify and obfuscate that.
“Terror is terror and no political spin can ever justify it. World needs to rise above political divides to address this peril. The battle against terrorism must be fought resolutely on all fronts, in all situations and at all places,” he said on Twitter, sharing a glimpse of his address.
Jaishankar said the ‘No Money for Terror’ platform was aimed to broad base the big fight against terror financing.
“When it comes to terrorism, we will never look away, we will never compromise and we will never give up on our quest to ensure justice.
“The challenge, however, is that while the bad guys think global and lateral, the good guys still think national and vertical,” he said.
