BIMSTEC goes beyond BRICS, says terrorists not martyrs

BENAULIM (GOA): While the outcome document for BIMSTEC or Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation did not mention cross-border terrorism or names of Pakistan-based terror outfits either, it still managed to hit the spot with India as it demanded action against states which provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror groups.

The document, in fact, also stated that there should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs. This is significant because it is none other than Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif who describes Burhan Wani, the Hizbul militant killed in an encounter with security forces in Kashmir, as a martyr.

Unlike the BRICS' Goa Declaration, the outcome document of BIMSTEC, which has as members Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand and Myanmar -was much more powerfully worded.China had blocked any mention of cross-border terrorism and Pakistan-based terror groups JeM and LeT in the Brics document.

"We strongly believe that our fight against terrorism should not only seek to disrupt and eliminate terrorists, terror organisations and networks, but should also identify, hold accountable and take strong measures against states who encourage, support and finance terror, provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror groups, and falsely extol their virtues," the BIMSTEC Leaders' Retreat 2016 outcome document stated.

India invited BIMSTEC for the BRICS outreach meeting months before protests erupted in Kashmir after Wani's death in July, and has already officially declared that SAARC and BIMSTEC can't be substitutes for each other. However, BIMSTEC's support is important in the context of India's renewed focus on the group.

While both the documents did not mention the Uri attack, they condemned, in “the strongest terms“, the recent “barbaric attacks in the region“.

Recognising that terrorism continues to remain the single-most significant threat to peace and stability in the region, the document reiterated the group's strong commitment to combat the scourge.