In win for India, Bimstec calls for terror crackdown

KATHMANDU: The Bimstec summit concluded here on Friday with a call to crack down on the cross-border movement of terrorists as part of measures to fight extremism, and an emphasis on greater connectivity in a region that accounts for 22% of the world’s population.

The Kathmandu Declaration by the leaders of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) focused a great deal on counter-terror measures, with the word “terrorism” being mentioned 22 times in the document.

Though no country was named as a supporter of crossborder terrorism, the declaration buttressed New Delhi’s stance on the threat of terrorism emanating from Pakistan, an issue that came in the way of Islamabad hosting the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Summit in 2016.

The declaration reiterated the strong commitment of the seven Bimstec members “to combat terrorism and call upon all countries to devise a comprehensive approach in this regard, which should include preventing financing of terrorists and terrorist actions from territories under their control, blocking recruitment and cross-border movement of terrorists, countering radicalisation, countering misuse of the internet for purposes of terrorism and dismantling terrorist safe havens”.

The Bimstec leaders reiterated “their position that terrorism continues to pose a serious threat to peace and stability in our region” and reaffirmed their “strong commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”.