BIMSTEC adopts Delhi Declaration on Combating Terrorism

India on Tuesday (October 13, 2026) hosted the first ever Bay of Bengal Home Ministers’ Meeting for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), where the regional bloc adopted a declaration to combat radicalisation, violent extremism leading to terrorism, prevention of misuse of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes, recruitment of terrorists.

Bangladesh, the BIMSTEC chair, was represented by Manzur Morshed Chowdhury, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, in place of Interior Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, a key member of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s cabinet. There was also no representation of Bangladesh during the BRICS summit hosted by India on September 12-13.

The “Delhi Declaration” signed by Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand also called for curbing terrorist financing by adhering to internationally agreed anti-terrorist financing and anti-money laundering standards in accordance with domestic and international laws.

The statement said member states “strongly condemn terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, wherever it is committed, by whomever and for whatever purpose; they reaffirm our determination to prevent, combat and eliminate terrorism and violent extremism leading to terrorism in a comprehensive and sustainable manner, in accordance with international law and with effective measures consistent with this UN Charter.” Security Council UN, including the 1267 Sanctions Committee”.

The group expressed its condolences and solidarity with the victims of terrorist attacks in member states and their families, as well as with the governments of the affected states. She called for those responsible to be brought to justice in accordance with applicable national and international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Key areas of cooperation

Union Home Minister Amit Shah highlighted five key areas of cooperation: drug control, counter-terrorism and legal cooperation, repatriation of fugitive criminals, cyber security and cybercrime investigations and institutional cooperation and capacity building. He called for a coordinated regional approach to combating illicit financial transactions and terrorist financing and emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation between law enforcement, intelligence and border management authorities.

“India has always believed in sovereignty and peaceful resolution of any dispute. We are committed to working together to counter the challenges emanating from international terrorism, organized crime and narcotics trade,” Mr Shah said.

He said criminal networks run their operations across international borders and exploit regional loopholes. “That’s why regional cooperation is a must. Their strategies are changing; they use encrypted communication, social media, drones, cryptocurrencies and the dark web to recruit and promote illegal activities. That’s why intelligence sharing and real-time cooperation are required to control these crimes. None of the member countries should harbor such criminals. We should cooperate in extraditing such criminals,” he added.

Mr Shah identified ‘human trafficking and cyber slavery’ as grave concerns.’ “Sharing useful information should be a priority among BIMSTEC countries,” he said.

“India has extradited several criminals from different countries; we need cooperation in this regard. A common protocol for human trafficking and cyber-slavery should be created. In this regard, the proposed BIMSTEC National Security Database and Information Sharing Center is a welcome step,” Mr. Shah said, stressing that counter-terrorism and law enforcement are key areas of cooperation.

Mr Shah said India believed the drug trade was essentially a “business of death” and that there was nothing “golden” about the “Golden Triangle”, referring to the narcotics-trafficking area linked to Thailand and Myanmar.

He said drug trafficking threatens youth, society, culture and the future of future generations and cannot be tackled with the help of a single country and requires a “region-wide” approach.

Mr Shah said drug proceeds provided financial strength to organized crime and terrorism. He said the diversion of precursor chemicals and transactions through the dark web further complicates the challenge.

The declaration called for “early completion of the texts of the Conventions on Extradition, Surrender of Sentenced Persons, and the Convention against Trafficking in Persons, as well as the Standard Operating Procedure for the Rescue, Repatriation, and Reintegration of Victims of Trafficking in Persons.”

Mr. Shah held a bilateral meeting with his Nepali counterpart Sudhan Gurung on the sidelines of the meeting.

Published – 13 Oct 2026 23:07 IST