Home Minister Amit Shah said that some countries protect and shelter terrorists

There are countries that seek to undermine, or even hinder, the world's collective resolve to fight terrorism, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday.

Speaking at the first session of the 3rd 'No Money for Terror' Ministerial Conference on the theme ‘Global Trends in Terrorist Financing and Terrorism’ in New Delhi on Friday, Shah said that some countries protect and shelter terrorists.

Maintaining that protecting a terrorist is equivalent to promoting terrorism, Shah said that it will be "our collective responsibility" that such elements never succeed in their intentions.

Home Minister Shah told the gathering that India has been a victim of terrorism, which is sponsored from across the border, for several decades.

Shah stated that one should never ignore terrorists' safe havens or their resources. He stressed the need to expose the double-speak of such elements who sponsor and support them.

It was, therefore, important that this Conference, the participating countries, and the organizations, should not take a selective, or complacent perspective of the challenges of this region, Shah said.

'SITUATION IN SOUTH ASIAN REGION HAS CHANGED'

After August 2021, the situation in the South Asian region has changed and the regime change and the growing influence of Al Qaeda & ISIS have emerged as a significant challenge to regional security, Shah said. He added that these new equations have made the problem of terror financing more serious.

Three decades ago, the whole world had to bear the serious consequences of one such regime change, the result of which was seen in the horrific attack of 9/11, Home Minister Shah pointed out.

He said that in this background, last year’s changes in the South Asian region were a matter of concern. Along with Al Qaeda, organizations in South Asia like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed continue to spread terror, he added.

While acknowledging terrorism as the most serious threat to global peace and security, Shah said the financing of terrorism was more dangerous than terrorism itself, because the 'Means and Methods' of terrorism are nurtured from such funding.

He said that India remains committed to all efforts to combat terrorism, by sharing intelligence, capacity building for effective border control, preventing misuse of modern technologies, monitoring and preventing illicit financial flows, and cooperating in investigative and judicial processes.

'NEED TO ADDRESS NEW CHALLENGES '

During his speech, Shah went on to explain that the forms and manifestations of terrorism were continuously evolving due to technological revolution. Today, terrorists and terrorist groups understand the nuances of modern weapons & information technology, and the dynamics of the cyber & financial space very well, and use them, he added.

According to the Union Home Minister, this transformation of terrorism from "Dynamite to Metaverse" and "AK-47 to Virtual Assets" was definitely a matter of concern.

He also pointed out that terrorists were constantly finding new ways to carry out violence, radicalize youth and raise financial resources. Shah maintained that the ‘Dark Net’ was being used by terrorists to spread radical content and conceal their identities.

Additionally, he said, there was an increase in the use of virtual assets like cryptocurrency. In this context, he highlighted the need to understand the patterns of these Dark Net activities and find their solutions.