Relevance: mains: G.S paper II: Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism
Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism :
Fear based oppression has over and over raised its appalling head – it is a worldwide hazard that few nations are attempting to manage on a war balance. From the USA to Asia, no landmass is free from the issues of dread. New Delhi has been raising the issue with different nations reciprocally and at worldwide discussions to attempt to handle the issue throughout the years. India has needed to manage both remote fear-based oppressors and neighbourhood components every now and then.
In the event that there is one basic motivation to the extent world pioneers are concerned, it is to battle fear. A great many lives have been lost because of fear related exercises. However, there are a few countries that utilization it as a device of state arrangement and attempt to facilitate their objectives. Tragically, we as dependable country states, don’t consent to a typical meaning of psychological warfare.
Tackling Terror Finance
Pakistan was placed on the FATF grey list in June, 2018 and put on notice to be blacklisted by October this year if it did not curb money laundering and terror financing. The resolution against Pakistan was moved by the US, and supported by the UK, France, Germany, and India. It said Pakistan was not doing enough to comply with anti-terrorist financing and anti-money laundering regulations. Pakistan was then given a 27-point action plan that was to be implemented by September this year and the same is being monitored by FATF Asia Pacific sub group.
What are Black List and Grey List of the FATF?
FATF has 2 types of lists;
- Black List
- Grey List
- Black List:Only those countries are included in this list that FATF considers as unco-operative tax havens. These countries are known as Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs). In other words; countries which are not supporting terror funding and money laundering activities are listed in the Black list.
The FATF blacklist or OECD blacklist has been issued by the Financial Action Task Force since 2000 and lists countries which it judges to be non-cooperative in the global fight against money laundering and terror funding.
- Grey List:Those countries which are considered as the safe heaven for supporting terror funding and money laundering; included in this list.
Now Grey list is a warning given to the country that it might come in Black list (Just like a yellow card in a football match). If a country is unable to curb mushrooming of terror funding and money laundering; it is shifted from black list to grey list by the FATF.
When a country comes in the Grey list, it faces many problems like;
- Economic sanctions from international institutions (IMF, World Bank, ADB etc.) and countries
- Problem in getting loans from international institutions (IMF, World Bank, ADB etc.) and countries
- 3. Overall Reduction in its international trade
- International boycott
Mechanism established internationally to curb it: The Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) made nine special recommendations for CFT (first eight then a year later added a ninth). These nine recommendations have become the global standard for CFT and their effectiveness is assessed almost always in conjunction with anti-money laundering. The FATF Blacklist (the NCCT list) mechanism was used to coerce countries to bring about change.
Stringent measures by India for global security
Is our preventive apparatus ready to coordinate the changing psychological militant technique? – Unfortunately, governments follow linear thinking. What appear in our discourses are lists of new special squads, better weaponry, satellite imagery, coastal radars and transponders to prevent coastal infiltration. No doubt these are relevant in certain situations but is our counter-terrorist architecture flexible enough to match or surpass the exponential thinking of terrorists?
Not having any dependable record of our abroad laborers who are the wellspring of such enlistment – The former Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), which was trying to collect such data during the UPA government’s tenure, was merged with the Ministry of External Affairs after the present NDA government took over. This was a retrograde step as a single-point high-level attention on our overseas workers that had been going on since 2004 was relegated to a minor wing of our vast diplomatic apparatus due to inter-ministerial squabbles.
Empowered Soldiers: For a country that takes pride in its modern, technologically advanced military, India still relies heavily on putting more boots on the ground and on the calibre of the soldier. It is time the Defence Ministry adopted a holistic approach, making sure that the soldier is fully backed by technology and calibrated security drills. Preventing terrorists from scoring a strike is the best defence.
Intelligence Sharing: To deal with the terror threat, there must be far greater sharing of intelligence among agencies worldwide. One of the major challenges that all intelligence agencies face is a qualitative understanding of the newer, and many post-modern threats. These newer generation threats, including those by terror groups and outfits, often lie “below the radar” or beyond the horizon. Anticipating such threats and their nature requires intelligence agencies to be constantly ahead of the curve. Anticipating newer threats is only partly facilitated by today’s technical advances such as new computing and communication technologies. However, these alone are not often enough to meet today’s intelligence needs.
Internet based life and Youth: Impressionable minds are very easily lured on the World Wide Web. Terrorism has to be fought at the level of political subversion and that’s where social media plays an enormous role, both by the state and others including terrorists. So the actual fight is sometime misunderstood to be on the ground. That’s not where the fight is indeed. Fight on the ground often has a negative influence on state agencies and forces. Political subversion is the ultimate power of terrorism and that is the ultimate aim and that’s where it has to be fought and political engagement therefore is important.
MEASURES BY INDIA ON GLOBAL SECURITY
There has to be two-fold action-
- Stopping infiltration through border
- Take on the hinterland militants
These actions have to go side by side. This is being done but more coordination is required in terms of intelligence sharing and operations planning.
More importantly, the government has taken good action against the financial network of militants. This is going to pay big dividends as it is was not touched earlier. This is going to give boost to anti-militancy operation. Currently, NIA is investigating against Hurriyat leaders in J&K. They have been arrested by NIA for having channelized various funds into stone felting or militancy in the state of J&K. These people have been in the front of face of separatists in the valley. The separatists now face two problems- demonetisation and tracking of their assets. Hence, the new breed of militants is not going to emerge strong as they won’t be able to survive without finance.
External opinions and actions
UN and US have been harsh on Hafeez Saeed and Dawood Ibrahim who have aided and abeted militancy in past. China backs ban on certain militants of Pakistan. But, China’s ban or no ban shouldn’t be bothered by India. India needs to clean its own area and not depend on someone else and neither be bothered by other influences. Focus should be on borders with Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries with problems on borders as well as in hinterland.
Extremism and terrorism
Many areas in India have been attacked other than J&K. Kashmir militancy is only a gateway for militant action all over India. There is also presence of left wing extremism in India but there was no fool-proof evidence about operational relationship between militants and left-wing extremists. J&K is more of religion based than LWE.
Thus, India shouldn’t consider militancy as part of only J&K and pan India movement. So the anti-terrorist approach and policy should be pan-India based.
Lifting of AFSPA is frequently talked about as the act gives security powers to function in such areas affected by extremism. As it is said that, if the body is septic, the part should be severed to stop the poison from going ahead. Militancy is same septic for the nation and it is going to damage the nation if not severed.
Note:
Delhi Declaration of India: The Delhi Declaration of India and 10 ASEAN countries mentioned, for the first time, “cross-border movement of terrorists” and made a commitment to counter the challenge through “close cooperation”. In an endorsement of the longstanding Indian view, these leaders not only agreed on a comprehensive approach to counter “foreign terrorist fighters”, but also supported efforts to target terror groups and sanctuaries.