Shri Kiren Rijiju’s statement at the “International Meeting on Counter Terrorism” in Indonesia
Posted on 10 Aug, 2016 3:17 pm
The Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju delivered a statement at the “International Meeting on Counter Terrorism” in Bali, Indonesia today. Following is the text of Shri Kiren Rijiju’s statement:
“India congratulates Indonesia for hosting this timely and important meeting to discuss the menace of terrorism that is plaguing the entire world today. India condemns in the strongest possible terms, the heinous terrorist attacks in Jakarta, Paris, Nice, Brussels, Istanbul, Dhaka, Baghdad, Orlando, in various parts of Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, and at an Indian airbase at Pathankot in the state of Punjab this year. Terrorism is an attack on the very idea of civilized societies and an attack on humanity itself. It defies international boundaries and hardly any nation is free from its impact. Lately, the menace has seriously escalated with terrorist groups creating havoc by maximizing human losses through perpetration of widespread killings and destruction.
The Government of India is committed to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and to ensure that the perpetrators of terrorist acts, their masterminds and conspirators are brought to justice. We unequivocally condemn all acts, methods and practices of terrorism, which cannot be justified under any circumstances, regardless of their motivation, wherever and by whomsoever they are committed. There should be zero tolerance against terrorism. We reaffirm that terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group.
It also needs to be ensured that terrorism is not glorified and is not patronized by any state. One country’s terrorist cannot be a martyr or freedom fighter for anyone. A terrorist anywhere is a terrorist everywhere. Those who provide support, encouragement, sanctuary, safe haven or any assistance to terrorism or terrorists must be isolated. Strongest possible steps need to be taken not only against terrorists and terrorist organizations but also against those individuals, institutions, organizations or nations that support them.
The will and the mandate of international community against proscribed and wanted terrorists and their organizations must be respected and implemented. If the world community is to rid themselves of the terrorism, we will have to rid ourselves of the notion of making distinctions between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ terrorists. No type of terror activity or support to it can be justified on any grounds whatsoever. Only then justice will be delivered for the victims of terrorist attacks such as in Mumbai and Pathankot.
India, which has been a victim of cross-border terrorism for decades, is not immune from the threats of radicalization and terrorist violence which is now affecting more and more countries all over the world. However, India’s firm adherence to open, inclusive and secular democratic governance processes, deep-rooted culture which regards the whole world as one big family and strong family ties and values which strongly uphold and protect the welfare interests of our children and youth, have checked the sweeping forces of radicalization from taking root in our country. Nevertheless, we remain highly concerned and closely monitor and guard against the activities of terrorist entities in various parts of the world from influencing the younger sections of the Indian population with extremist online propaganda and material. The risks posed by Foreign Terrorist Fighters trying to enter the country from across the border and by other means are also similarly constantly assessed and monitored.
To counter the problem of cross-border infiltration, the Government of India, has adopted a multi-pronged approach, which includes, inter alia, strengthening of border management through multi-tiered deployment along international borders/Line of Control and infiltration routes, construction of border fencing, improved use of technology, better intelligence and operational coordination, synergizing intelligence flow to check infiltration and proactive action against terrorists within the country.
There is close and effective coordination amongst intelligence agencies at the Centre and the State levels. The Multi Agency Centre (MAC) has been strengthened and re-organized to enable it to function on 24x7 basis for real time collation and sharing of intelligence between the State and the Central agencies.
In order to strengthen legislative measures for countering terrorist attacks and terrorism-related offences and to ensure speedy investigation and prosecution of such cases, the Government of India has created the National Investigation Agency (NIA), as a Central Agency to deal with terror related cases in 2008 through the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008.
The States most affected by terrorism have already raised well-trained police forces to deal with the menace of terrorism. The Centre supports them in this endeavor by providing them human, financial and material resources.
Cross border movements of terrorists is the most prominent manifestation of internationalization of terrorism through sophisticated networks and use of advance technologies. Thus controlling and checking cross border movement is one of the most potent tools to counter this peril.
Intelligence can play a vital role in combating terrorism. The need of the hour is to share relevant inputs to prevent acts of terrorism. I take this opportunity to request all concerned to develop intelligence mechanisms for smooth dissemination of inputs on real time basis.
Countering terrorism also requires a strong collective action by the global community. India is regularly engaging with various countries bilaterally for exchanging perspectives on developments pertaining to the menace of terrorism and deepening cooperation for exploring possibilities and modalities of addressing security threats emanating from it. India is also actively participating in deliberations about this scourge at various regional and mulitateral fora.
In order to address the menace of terrorism, a strong international legal framework is the need of the hour. In this context, nations must urgently consider expediting finalization of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism under the UN umbrella mooted by India as early as 1996. Additionally, there is a need for increasing the effectiveness and transparency of procedures under the UNSCR 1267 and related resolutions for effective implementation and better coherence between various UN counter terrorism structures.
Here I would like to again reiterate that all forms of terrorism and in one voice is determined to counter and combat terrorism in its various violent and subtle manifestations. We assure this learned assembly of our fullest cooperation and support in unitedly combating this global scourge for safeguarding humanity and the human civilization. At the end, I also take this opportunity to thank the Indonesian government for their kind hospitality.”
Courtesy – Press Information Bureau, Government of India