NIA’s anti-terror conference to firm up common legal norms

Organised by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the conference will be inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. According to officials, the participating police officers will extensively share their operational experiences, best practices and deliberate over the use of emerging technologies to counter terror networks in the country.The other points on the agenda are the mechanisms for improved international legal cooperation and strategies to dismantle terror ecosystems operating in different counter-terrorism theatres across the country. The officials said, ‘During the course of the different sessions at the meet, the police officers are going to review the progress made on the consensus and recommendations adopted at last year’s meet.During the meet last year, there was a consensus among various central and state agencies and police forces on the need for stronger collaborative efforts backed by a standardised strategy to combat the menace of terrorism, particularly with respect to cybercrime and financial terrorism.

The conference had then focused on the need for a unified approach to deal with terrorism across states in the interest of national security, the officials said, adding that a consensus had then also emerged during the sessions on the importance of a holistic, well-rounded strategy, encompassing the entire national framework extending from the government down to the lowest levels of policing and investigation.As the tone of last year’s conference saw intense discussions on key terror-related topics and concerns through five thematic sessions, this year’s conference may include some key announcements by the Home Minister.The previous conference witnessed several announcements made by the Home Minister linked to far-reaching measures to make India’s anti-terror fight more impactful, including the formulation of a national counter-terrorism policy and strategy to fight the entire ‘ecosystem’ of terrorism. The HomeMinister may discuss or share some developments on the policy this year, as suggested by the sources.Underlining the government’s commitment of ‘zero tolerance’ against terrorism, the Home Minister last year had also emphasised the need for adoption of a coordinated approach, from police stations up to the DGP office, to deal with new challenges like terror funding through illegal drug trade and crypto.Officials said, ‘During the meet, the Home Minister is going to personally review the progress made on all these counts.’ Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is in the processof finalising India’s first anti-terror policy, which will provide a template for all states to combat and respond to terror-related incidents, the officials said.