At SCO meet, NSA Doval makes strong pitch for action against Lashkar, JeM
New Delhi, June 24: National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval proposed an action plan against the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation framework.
The NSA also emphasised on the adoption of international standards to counter terror financing including a Memorandum of Understanding between the SCO and Financial Action Task Force.
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The NSA also spoke on the need to monitor new technologies being used by terrorists, which include drones for smuggling of weapons and the misuse of the dark web, social media, blockchain and dark web.
NSA Doval also said that there should be greater connectivity including via initiatives such as the Chahbahar, INSTC, Regional Air Corridors, Ashgabat Agreement that always lead to economic gains and trust building. He however emphasised that connectivity must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also said that there was a need to preserve gains made in the last two decades in Afghanistan and also give top priority to the welfare of its people. India fully supports that SCO Contact Group on Afghanistan, which must be more active, Doval also said.
The NSA also held discussions with his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev and discussed contemporary developments of bilateral, regional, and global significance.
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The
joint
statement
issued
by
the
SCO
said
that
special
attention
was
given
to
the
current
military
and
political
situation
in
Afghanistan
and
the
risk
of
its
escalation.
Pakistani
National
Security
Advisor
Moeed
Yusuf
and
Afghan
NSA
Hamdullah
Mohib
were
among
the
participants
at
the
in-person
meeting
that
discussed
key
regional
security
issues,
including
the
evolving
situation
in
Afghanistan.
"NSA Ajit Doval participated in the 16th Meeting of Security Council Secretaries of SCO member states," the Indian embassy in Tajikistan tweeted.
In September last year, Doval walked out of a virtual meeting of the SCO after the Pakistani representative projected a map that inaccurately depicted Kashmir. India had slammed Pakistan for the "blatant disregard" to the norms of the meeting. The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, is an eight-member economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the Presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
India has shown keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence. India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.