Question : Menace of Terrorism in Various Countries

(a) whether various countries have become victims of terrorism like India;

(b) if so, the reaction of the Government thereto along with the names of such countries;

(c) whether representatives of India have visited all these countries and discussed with their concerned departments about the menace of world wide terrorism and if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether the Government proposes to sign a bilateral treaty with these countries and has formulated any action plan in this regard; and

(e) if so, the details thereof, along with the present status of implementation of these action plans, country-wise?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
[SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN]

(a) & (b) Yes. In the recent past terrorist incidents have taken place in several parts of the world including in Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Nigeria, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Syria. The Government condemns in the strongest possible terms all terrorist attacks taking place anywhere in the world. India believes terrorism is a crime against humanity.

(c) to (e) The Government engages with other countries, on an ongoing basis, on the issue of terrorism during various high level and other official visits. The Government has also set up Joint Working Groups (JWGs) on Counter Terrorism with 23 countries and 3 groupings i.e. BIMSTEC, BRICS and EU. Meetings of JWGs are held on a regular basis, which have been found useful for exchange of views on threat perceptions, sharing of experiences and best practices as well as capacity building. The Government, based on evolving situations, will continue to engage with other countries on counter terrorism, as necessary. India has proposed a Comprehensive Convention of International Terrorism (CCIT) in the year 1996 and has been continuously pressing for its early finalisation and adoption by the United Nations General Assembly.

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