New Delhi, Oct 21 (Inditop.com) Stating that some irresponsible states were “covertly helping the perpetrators” of cross-border terrorism, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has called for an internationally acceptable mechanism to counter the threat.
Addressing the first standing committee of the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) assembly in Geneva Tuesday, she said measures like law enforcement cooperation, mutual legal assistance, extradition and technical assistance were needed to help tackle all forms of organised crimes “more effectively in a collective manner”.
She was participating in a discussion on ‘Cooperation and shared responsibility in the global fight against organised crime, in particular drug trafficking, illegal arms sales, human trafficking and cross-border terrorism’, said a press release from the Lok Sabha secretariat.
She expressed the hope that the IPU assembly would strive to evolve consensus amongst national parliaments on the question of enacting the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism sponsored by India in the UN General Assembly in 1996. The draft convention sought to provide the states with a comprehensive legal framework to effectively deal with the entire range of terrorist activities including cross-border terrorism.
Cross-border terrorism posed serious security challenges on a global scale and India had been confronted like many other countries with externally sponsored terrorism for several decades, Meira Kumar said.
India, she added, was pursuing a comprehensive action plan that included enhanced intelligence sharing, strengthening of border management and augmenting the capability of the police forces.
India had extradition treaties with more than 25 countries and negotiations were on with many more, the speaker said. She disclosed that joint working groups had been established on counter-terrorism with 27 countries and treaties for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters signed with 26 countries.
Organised crime, the speaker stated, was a major threat to human security and severely impeded the social, economic, political and cultural developments of societies all over the world.
Organised crime manifested itself in unlawful activities such as drug trafficking, illegal arms sales, trafficking in human beings and cross-border terrorism.
Though India had taken several legislative and administrative measures to control and counter them, these problems persisted as they have “transnational dimensions”, she added.
