Avoid using discriminatory tactics while combating terrorism: NSA Ajit Doval at the SCO summit

At a regional meeting of national security advisers in Kazakhstan, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval brought attention to the ongoing threat posed by cross-border terrorism. At the same time, he met with his Russian counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev, and conveyed India’s support for the Russian government and people in combating terrorism in all of its forms and manifestations.

“Terrorists, including those engaged in cross-border terrorism, should be dealt with effectively and expeditiously,” Doval said in Astana on Wednesday. He also advocated for the rejection of applying differential treatment to those who fight the threat.

Speaking at a security conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Doval noted that it was imperative to hold those who sponsor, finance, and facilitate terrorism accountable in light of the deaths of five Chinese engineers in Pakistan on March 26 and the deadly terrorist attack at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall on March 22.

He called attention to the ongoing danger that the SCO area faces from a number of terror organizations, including those that the UN Security Council has recognized as such: Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Al-Qaeda and its affiliates, and ISIS.

He said that although India is dedicated to boosting transit commerce and connectivity, such efforts must completely respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of SCO member nations.

Doval emphasized the necessity to combat terrorists’ exploitation of contemporary technologies, such as drones, to transport narcotics and weapons over international borders. He said that India is in favor of the establishment of an efficient RATS-SCO framework for cooperation in the fight against terror funding, as well as the further strengthening of such mechanism.

Doval also conveyed his grave concerns about Afghanistan’s security state, particularly the persistence of terrorist networks there. He said that India had genuine security and economic interests in Afghanistan as its neighbor. Doval paid a visit to President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev of Kazakhstan together with his peers from the SCO.