In Beijing, NSA Doval urges SCO countries to shun double standards in fight against terrorism

Beijing, June 24 (IANS) Spotlighting the barbaric Pahalgam terror attack and India's subsequent Operation Sindoor to dismantle terror infrastructure across the border, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Tuesday called for the urgent need to shun double standards in the fight against terrorism and take decisive actions against UN-proscribed terrorists and entities.

Addressing the 20th meeting of the Security Council Secretaries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States in Beijing, NSA Doval said that India is deeply concerned about continued threat from terror groups designated by United Nations Security Council (UNSC), including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) — two of the most dangerous and state-supported terror outfits operating out of Pakistan - besides Al Qaeda, ISIS and its affiliates.

In his intervention, he highlighted the need to shun double standards in the fight against terrorism and take decisive actions against UN-proscribed terrorists and entities like LeT, JeM and their proxies and dismantle their terror eco-systems.

As NSA Doval reiterated that any act of terror including cross border terrorism is a crime against humanity, India called on SCO members to hold accountable the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of acts of cross border terror and to help bring them to justice.

He also stated that India's actions during Operation Sindoor - launched to dismantle terror infrastructure and deter terrorists who were likely to be sent across the border into India - were measured and non-escalatory.

Operation Sindoor was launched in response to the barbaric terror attack on April 22 in J&K's Pahalgam, in which TRF, a proxy of LeT, killed 26 Indian and Nepalese nationals and injured several others after segregating them on the basis of religion.

NSA Doval asserted that India has centuries old linkages with each country in the SCO and the millennia-old Indian principle of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' will guide India's approach to prosper together with other member states.

He also requested support and thanked heads of delegations for several important Indian proposals including Algorithm of Joint Actions to counter challenges posed by international terrorist organisations including Al Qaeda and its affiliates; Joint measures to counter radicalisation leading to terrorism, separatism and extremism; and Joint Information Operation to counter extremist ideology.

Earlier, NSA Doval called on Han Zheng, Vice-President of China along with other Heads of Delegation attending the 20th Meeting of the SCO Security Council Secretaries at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

He also held a meeting with Aleksandr Venediktov, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, where the two sides discussed issues of bilateral, regional and international significance. The Russian side conveyed that they were looking forward to receiving NSA Doval in Russia for the next round of the Strategic Dialogue at an early date.

On Monday, the National Security Advisor met with Wang Yi, Member, Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Minister of Foreign Affairs in Beijing.

"During the meeting, both sides reviewed recent developments in India-China bilateral relations and underscored the need to promote the overall development of the India-China bilateral relations, including by fostering greater people to people ties. NSA also emphasized the need to counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations to maintain overall peace and stability in the region. Views were also exchanged on other bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest," read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

--IANS

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