Why BRICS nations need to counter terrorism

In a strong endorsement of India, all five-nation in the BRICS summit have strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and stressed that there can be no justification for any acts of terror based on ideological, political or religious issues. This must be considered as a significant move towards fighting the menace of terrorism which has become a major threat to the security of three of the five member nations, namely China, India and Russia.

"We call upon all entities to refrain from financing, encouraging, providing training for or otherwise supporting terrorist activities. We believe that the UN has a central role in coordinating international action against terrorism, which must be conducted in accordance with international law, including the UN charter, and with respect to human rights and fundamental freedoms," said the 17-page Fortaleza Declaration at the end of the BRICS summit.

Terrorism in BRICS nations:

Three out of the five BRICS nations i.e. India, China and Russia are consistently facing the problems of terrorism. There is a dire need to sit together and devise plans to counter this common threat.

India is one of the most sensitive countries in the world where Islamic radicals are posing a threat to its national security through cross border terrorism and internal insurgency. Naxals have also emerged as major tormentors over last two decades.

Brazil has so far stayed away from the flames of global terrorism.

China's Xinjiang province is the hotbed of Uyghur extremists while Russia too is plagued by Chechnya malaise from time to time.

Brazil has so far stayed away from the flames of global terrorism. But, South Africa which has not witnessed terrorism after the end of apartheid has been a safe haven for global terror organistations. Lawlessness, incumbent corruption and a wide range of financing methods in this African nation are misused by terror groups to fund terror activities around the globe.

As per a report published by International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, "With lawlessness, government corruption and a wide range of preferred terrorists financing methods available - al-Qaeda could indeed partake in illicit and unregulated trade in southern Africa to sustain itself."

Hezbollah and Hamas' wings too are operational in Johannesburg to fund the activities in Lebanon and Palestine, respectively, says the ICSR report. Funding of terrorism through blood diamonds, mined in the country, is a widely known. Funds from South Africa enter these countries via hawala routes to perform terror activities.

The African nation has been a safe haven for mafias from all over the world who are actively involved in funding terrorist activities.

With the spread of Islamist radicals in other parts of the continent South Africa too can't remain free from its clutches, for long, if Jacob Zuma government doesn't takes pro-active measures.

India's stand:

India has been one of the most favoured destinations for terrorist activities. The country, ever since its independence, has been facing the dual problems of tackling cross border terrorism and militancy in Jammu & Kashmir and other regions. Hence, New Delhi has been biggest advocate of countering terrorism and cutting the funding routes of terror organisations, on global platform.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again raised India's concerns over the problems of terrorism and sought collective action of the states in ensuring that no sanctuary is given to terrorists in what was seen as a veiled reference to India's neighbourhood.

The five member countries agreed to continue to work together to conclude as soon as possible negotiations and to adopt in the UN general Assembly the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism and also stressed the need to promote cooperation amongst them in preventing terrorism.

Setting up of BRICS bank, a major help:

Setting up a common BRICS bank would not only help these countries to counter the so called western-dominated international financial system but it may also help giving monetary help to its members to counter terrorism.

China and Russia have so far been effective in countering the challenge of terrorism and successfully restricted the terrorists to a particular area. Member countries can take help from these two nations to counter the problems of terrorism. The member countries may share ideas and also form common a taskforce to tackle this problem, as it has become a major hurdle in their growth.