Daily Hot Topic
Topic : India’s Contribution to Fight Against Terrorism
GS-3 Mains : Security
Revision Notes
Context:
- India contributed $500,000 to the U.N. Counter-Terrorism Trust Fund, bringing its total contribution to $2.55 million.
What India Supports:
- U.N. Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) programs:
- Countering Financing of Terrorism (CFT)
- Countering Terrorist Travel Programme (CTTP)
- Focuses on Africa to combat terror financing and movement.
Understanding Terrorism:
- Complex threats: organized groups, lone wolves, chemical/biological attacks.
- Targets civilians to create fear.
- Rooted in grievances, extremism, and radical ideologies.
Modus Operandi of Terror Groups:
- Advanced Technology: Increased access for seamless operations.
- Encrypted Messaging: Used for instructions and sleeper cell revival.
- Funding: Crowd funding and cryptocurrencies used for financing.
- Lone Wolf Attacks: Encouraging sympathizers to carry out attacks.
- Radicalization: Spreading misinformation and false narratives on social media.
Challenges in Tackling Terrorism:
- Evolving Techniques: Terrorists adapt methods to evade detection (e.g., drone use).
- Transnational Nature: Requires international cooperation.
- Root Causes: Needs long-term strategies beyond security measures (poverty, inequality, grievances).
- Civil Liberties vs. Security: Balancing security with human rights (surveillance, detention).
- Cyberterrorism: Online propaganda, recruitment, and coordination. Needs collaboration across sectors.
- Financing: Tracking networks is difficult due to informal channels, money laundering, and legitimate institutions.
- Lone Actors: Harder to detect as they lack established group connections.
Global Measures to Combat Terrorism
- UN Counterterrorism Framework: Legal framework for actions against terrorism (financing, foreign fighters, border security).
- Financial Action Task Force (FATF): Sets standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. Member countries implement these recommendations.
- Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF): Promotes cooperation and capacity building for counterterrorism efforts.
- Intelligence Sharing: Bilateral and multilateral agreements enable information exchange on terrorist threats.
- Aviation Security: Stringent security measures at airports and aboard aircraft to counter aviation terrorism.
- Cybersecurity Collaboration: International initiatives for information sharing, capacity building, and developing common cyber defense standards.
Terrorism in India
- Mainly cross-border, sponsored by neighboring countries (e.g., Pakistan).
- Methods: Infiltration via land borders, sea routes, illegal immigration.
- Terrorist groups: LeT, JeM, HM, IM (linked to Pakistan’s ISI).
India’s Efforts
- UN Resolutions: Tables resolution on preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction.
- International Agreements: Party to 13 universal anti-terrorism instruments.
- Legislation: UAPA – legal framework to counter terrorist activities, organizations, and financing.
- Diplomacy: Raises issue of Pakistan’s support for terrorism at various levels.
- Strategic Partnerships: Collaborates with US, Israel, and Gulf states on intelligence sharing, defense cooperation, and capacity building.
- Technology & Cybersecurity:
- Drone Rules by Ministry of Civil Aviation
- National Investigation Agency mandate expanded to include cyberterrorism
- Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) for cyber security incident response
Conclusion
- Countering radicalization and addressing socio-economic grievances are crucial for comprehensive counterterrorism efforts.
- Collaboration on cybersecurity is essential to combat cyberterrorism and prevent online recruitment and propaganda.
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