India's National Security Adviser Urges SCO Members to Take Decisive Action Against Terrorism

Strategic Insights -

India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval emphasized the need for members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to adopt a unified approach in combating terrorism, urging them to hold accountable perpetrators and sponsors of cross-border terror. Speaking at a meeting of the SCO Security Council Secretaries in Beijing, Doval expressed India's deep concern about the continued threat from terror groups sanctioned by the UN Security Council, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), al-Qaeda, and Islamic State.

Key Takeaways:

  • Doval emphasized the need to abandon double standards in combating terrorism and urged SCO members to hold accountable perpetrators, organisers, financiers, and sponsors of acts of cross-border terror.
  • He highlighted the threat posed by UN-sanctioned terror groups, including LeT, JeM, al-Qaeda, and Islamic State, and their affiliates.
  • Doval sought "decisive action" against terrorists proscribed by the UN and groups like LeT, JeM, and their proxies, as well as the dismantling of their "terror eco-systems".
  • He also sought the support of other delegations for important Indian proposals to combat terrorism, including an "algorithm of joint actions" to counter challenges posed by international terrorist groups.
  • The meeting was attended by Pakistan's NSA, Inter-Services Intelligence agency chief Lt Gen Asim Malik, and Doval's remarks were seen as a swipe at Pakistan.

Statistics:

  • 26 people, including a Nepali national, were killed in the Pahalgam terror attack carried out by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of LeT.
  • The military strikes on terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan on May 7 triggered four days of intense clashes between India and Pakistan.
  • India's actions in response to the Pahalgam terror attack were described by Doval as "measured and non-escalatory".

Sources:

  • Hindustan Times, June 24, 2023
  • Remarks by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval at the meeting of SCO Security Council Secretaries in Beijing.