The BRICS nations have called upon all states to refrain from organising, instigating, facilitating, financing, encouraging or tolerating terrorist activities.

In its counter-terrorism action plan adopted at the BRICS Summit earlier this month, the five-nation grouping, which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has also asked all states to to take appropriate practical measures to ensure that their territories are not used for terrorist bases or preparation or organisation of terrorist acts intended to be committed against other states or their citizens.

Advertisement

The action plan was adopted earlier this month at the BRICS Summit at which Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the Indian delegation.

Indian officials say the formulation in the action plan was aimed at sending out a clear message to countries like Pakistan that they could no longer play the victim card on the issue of terrorism and sponsor the menace in their neighbourhood.

According to the action plan, the BRICS countries will strengthen their unity in countering international terrorism and its financing and consider undertaking concerted measures against those involved in organising, encouraging or tolerating terrorist activities.

The BRICS nations will deepen their cooperation to reaffirm the support for the central and coordinating role of the UN in combating international terrorism, the need for strict and full implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions related to counter terrorism, comprehensive implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in a balanced way, and implementation of the provisions of the relevant international counter-terrorism conventions and protocols.

The Brics countries will improve the practical cooperation among security and law-enforcement authorities to prevent and combat terrorism, including by sharing timely and accurate information, and consider, if necessary, creating legal framework for such sharing; suppress the facilitation of terrorist groups, entities and associated persons by not making available to them any resources, such as human, financial, or material, including weaponry; undertake steps to improve relevant necessary measures to strengthen border and customs controls in order to prevent and detect the cross-border movement of terrorists, including by comprehensively using, whenever appropriate, international databases on terrorism and the consolidated list of sanctioned individuals and groups by the UN Security Council.

They will utilise BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group to strengthen intelligence and information sharing and cooperation on terrorist organisations listed by the UN Security Council; pursue collectively the adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on international Terrorism; prevent further geographical expansion of terrorism and address the threats posed by terrorists returning from conflict zones to countries of departure or traveling to third countries.

The five nations will undertake all necessary measures to ensure that any person who participates in the financing, planning, preparation or perpetration of terrorist acts or in support of terrorist acts is brought to justice, with due respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and that such terrorist acts are established as serious criminal offence in their domestic laws; enhance cooperation in the sphere of mutual legal assistance and extradition, in conformity with their domestic laws and regulations, to afford the widest measure of assistance in connection with investigation or criminal proceedings against terrorists; – counter extremist narratives conducive to terrorism and the misuse of the Internet and social media for the purposes of terrorist recruitment, radicalisation and incitement and providing financial and material support for terrorists.