Indo-UAE pact on terror: Pact significant if acted upon

Abu Dhabi, Aug 18: The agreement between India and the United Arab Emirates to fight terrorism [India, UAE agree to crack down on terrorism; issue joint statement] is a significant one and if what is on paper is acted upon it could go a long way in curbing the likes of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and activities of the D-gang.

The biggest plus of this agreement if acted upon would be curbing the flow of terror funds.

A joint statement by UAE and India states that the two nations would oppose terrorism in all forms and manifestations.

It also calls upon all states to abandon and reject terrorism and its use against other countries. Further the statement also states that terrorism should be dismantled and the perperatrators brought to justice.

Sharing of intelligence is the key

In any fight against terrorism, intelligence sharing is extremely crucial. If the agreement is carried forward then UAE and India would share intelligence in real time and this is expected to put the brakes on the perpetrators of terror.

Several operatives from Pakistan including members of the D-Gang have been using UAE as a fund raising destination. This new pact would ensure that India and UAE share intelligence on the activities of such persons. Fund raising by terrorist organizations has always been a major source of concern.

If the pact is worked upon in the right manner then both nations would indulge in real time intelligence sharing which would well put the brakes on fund raisers of terror.

Moving away from Pakistan

It has been decided that the National Security Advisors of both India and the UAE would meet once in six months. This is extremely crucial since the pact that has been signed needs to be taken forward and the information both nations have will have to be reviewed from time to time.

This also signals a significant shift away from Pakistan as it has been seen in the past that the UAE has shared a personal relationship with Pakistan.

Security experts however say that the pact needs to be acted upon and it is extremely important that the information is reviewed from time to time. Pakistan's terrorists have often used UAE as a sage hideout in the past.

It has been seen in the case of some Indian Mujahideen operatives too when they have carried out attacks in India and then taken shelter in the UAE. Most of these safe hideouts were created by Pakistan for such operatives.

However, now with the pact being signed and the two nations deciding to combat terror, operatives of terror groups would find it hard to operate or hide in the UAE. As per the agreement both nations would have to provide concrete information regarding the movement of terrorists which would help nab them or at least curb their activities.

Enforcement Directorate will play a key role

The Enforcement Directorate will play a key role in dismantling the Dawood empire. It is a well known fact that Dawood has business interests in both London and Dubai. The Dubai market is a key one for the D Gang and as per the dossier that India has handed over, it suggests that he has real estate dealings in Dubai.

The ED which would send its team to London to assess the properties of Dawood would also look towards the UAE and Dubai in particular. The information that the ED manages to pick up would be very crucial and if shared with the UAE could help in dismantling Dawood's assets.

The pact between India and the UAE would suggest action would be taken if right information is shared.

An intelligence bureau official tells OneIndia that what needs to be taken care of is that the information that is shared needs to be authentic.

While dealing with both UAE or Saudi, their authorities are very particular about authentic information. They would conduct their own investigation based on the information we provide following which action would be taken.

OneIndia News