‘ Have faced terror from across borders’

India has told the UN that it has faced the scourge of terrorism from across the borders for decades, while its counter- terror efforts get thwarted due to lack of global support in exchange of information and extradition of the accused “hiding” outside.

Speaking at the United Nations High- Level Conference on Heads of C o u n t e r- T e r r o r i s m Agencies yesterday, Special Secretary, Internal Security, Home Ministry, Rina Mitra warned that no country can be considered safe from terrorist acts. She said terrorist entities today have links and operate across borders building networks, raising funds in various ways including internationally, propagating ideologies of hate, recruiting from foreign lands, sourcing arms and weapons from distant providers and smugglers and exploiting modern communication technologies that dissolve distances.

“They are able to select targets of their choosing in countries of their choosing, cross borders often with help from state agencies and inflict terror on innocent peoples. They are able to do this because nation states still struggle to collaborate with their partners and neighbours on countering activities of terror networks, often due to narrow political considerations,” she said.

“Worse, there are well known instances of some states using terror entities for their political ends, providing them with safe havens and other support,” she added. M i t r a told the conference that India has had to face the scourge of terrorism, mostly originating outside its borders, increasingly over the last two decades, adding that the country’s counter- terrorism agencies have developed considerable expertise in preventing such attacks and bringing their perpetrators to justice.

“Many of our efforts continue to be thwarted due to lack of international collaboration in respect of exchange of information and evidence or of extradition of the accused persons who are hiding outside our territory,” she said.

The UN had convened its first- ever High- Level Conference on CounterTerrorism. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on nations to fight terrorism together with methods that do not compromise the rule of law and human rights.