Terror focus distracts from big picture

Over the span of a little over a fortnight India has hosted two global counter-terrorism conferences; the UN Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committees’ meetings in Mumbai and Delhi on October 26 and 27, and then the 3rd Ministerial Conference on Countering Financing of Terrorism in New Delhi on November 18 and 19. These meetings are a reflection not only of India’s concerns over terrorism but also, of the importance it accords to the global fight against terrorism. At the November meeting in Delhi, whose theme was ‘No Money For Terror (NMFT),’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew attention to new kinds of technology being used for terror financing and recruitment. Tracing the financing of terrorist activities is getting ever more complex as professional hackers and terrorists come together on the dark web to transfer or crowdsource funds, and often go undetected as their movement of funds is anonymous and decentralized. Home Minister Amit Shah proposed the setting up of a permanent secretariat for “No Money for Terror,” to ensure sustained and focused attention to the challenge of terrorism financing. Earlier, at the October meetings, India and the US raised concerns over countries blocking efforts to sanction terrorists.

India’s concerns over terrorism are understandable given the number of times terrorists, especially those based and backed by Pakistan, have targeted Indian nationals and interests. Yet, its approach at global meetings needs to change. The world and various groupings are tired of India’s preoccupation with blaming and isolating Pakistan. On the one hand, the Modi government claims that its robust approach has successfully brought down terrorist attacks in the country. Yet at international forums and meetings leaders and diplomats are obsessed with raising the threat of terrorism the country faces and Pakistan’s role in it. At a time when the world is sliding into a new cold war, India’s preoccupation with Pakistan and terrorism is not going to help it face looming challenges. It is not our argument that terrorism is not a threat; only that the government’s preoccupation with it for domestic electoral reasons is short-sighted.

The Modi government seems to have ruffled the feathers of participants at the NMFT meeting. Shah’s mooting of a permanent secretariat for tackling terror financing was apparently done without consulting other participants first. Participants at the meeting are wondering whether the world needs yet another mechanism to tackle terror financing when we have the FATF. Indian officials say that the proposed secretariat will not only focus on terror financing full-time but involve ministerial participation. However, floating an idea first, followed by consultation and circulating a discussion paper would have been the way to go. Shah’s grand announcement at a global meeting may impress supporters at home. It has not gone down well with the international community.