A supporter of the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference clicks a picture of a banner displaying slain Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani and others killed in violence during a rally in Islamabad, Pakistan. (Photo: AP)
A supporter of the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference clicks a picture of a banner displaying slain Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani and others killed in violence during a rally in Islamabad, Pakistan. (Photo: AP)
Cross-border terrorism with specific reference to major incidents in India, like 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot attacks, will dominate Union home minister Rajnath Singh’s agenda during the Saarc Home and Interior Ministers’ conference in Islamabad on Thursday. The minister reached Pakistan on Wednesday evening amid increased security in the wake of a threat issued by Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed.
Just before leaving for Pakistan, Mr Singh in a tweet said he was “looking forward to underscore the imperative of meaningful co-operation within the region against terrorism and organised crime.”
According to the home ministry sources, as Saarc is a multilateral forum Mr Singh is expected to mention the overall impact of terror in the region and would mention the recent terrorist attacks in Dhaka and Kabul. On the issue of cross-border terrorism, sources added, the home minister will raise the issue of how India has been affected by Pakistan’s continued support to subversive groups like Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Mr Singh is also expected to bring up Dawood Ibrahim’s presence in Pakistan during the talks, stressing that all Saarc member-countries need to collectively fight terror rather than supporting terror groups or operatives against one another. “This conference provides a platform to discuss issues pertaining to security,” Mr Singh tweeted.
It is still not clear whether Mr Singh will have a separate meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Khan. “It is possible that on the sidelines there may be an informal interaction between the two leaders and we have prepared a separate agenda for it. But it is still not clear whether the meeting will at all happen,’’ an MHA official said.
Even though the Home Ministers will be meeting in Islamabad on Thursday, the Home Secretaries of SAARC nations met on Wednesday. The Home Minster is also expected to raise issues of smuggling of fake Indian currency notes which is being encouraged by elements in Pakistan. Other important issues likely to be discussed during the meeting include trafficking of narcotics, liberalised visa regime and putting in place a joint mechanism to check smuggling of arms and ammunition in the SAARC region.
