“Govt Committed To Unified BIMSTEC Front Against Cross-Border Crime”
HM Outlines India’s Vision for Stronger BIMSTEC Security
New Delhi | October, 13: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday called for stronger regional coordination among BIMSTEC member states to combat terrorism, transnational organised crime and drug trafficking, stressing that criminal networks are increasingly exploiting cross-border vulnerabilities to evade law enforcement.
Addressing the first Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Home Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi, Shah said India is committed to the effective implementation of the BIMSTEC Convention to tackle terrorism, organised crime and illicit drug trafficking.
“Criminal networks operate across borders and take advantage of local weaknesses. So, regional cooperation holds a special place in our functioning. The working of these networks is changing rapidly,” he said. Reaffirming India’s zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism, Shah called for a collective commitment to ensure that no terrorist network could find shelter, recruit members, conduct training, raise funds or carry out activities against neighbouring countries from within the region.
He stressed the need for real-time coordination among intelligence, law enforcement, financial monitoring and border management agencies, alongside the exchange of actionable intelligence through designated nodal agencies. Shah also called for stronger cooperation in tackling terrorist financing and organised crime, and urged member states to extend mutual assistance in extradition and legal proceedings in accordance with their national laws and applicable treaties.
“India has achieved significant success in bringing fugitive criminals back from different parts of the world to face justice,” he said, urging BIMSTEC members to strengthen cooperation to ensure that “no criminal or terrorist can evade the law, regardless of where they are hiding”. Describing BIMSTEC as an imperative platform for regional integration, economic cooperation and collective security, Shah said hosting its first Home Ministers’ Meeting is a matter of pride for India.
Invoking the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family), Shah reiterated India’s commitment to peace, coexistence and human welfare. “India has never believed in invading or establishing dominance over any country. India has always believed in upholding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every country andthe peaceful resolution of differences,” he said.
Shah also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks at the sixth BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand on April 4, 2025, saying the grouping’s cooperation must translate into practical mechanisms to improve public security and strengthen the capabilities of law enforcement agencies. “Furthering this view, as Home Ministers, it is our responsibility today to convert our cooperation into a practical system so that the security of our citizens and the capability of our agencies are strengthened,” Shah said.
The meeting brings together home ministers and delegations from the seven-member Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), which comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The grouping connects South and Southeast Asia and provides a platform for cooperation on regional security and other shared priorities. Its agenda for security cooperation includes counter-terrorism, transnational organised crime, narcotics trafficking, radicalisation, human trafficking, illicit financial flows and cyber threats.
