DOVAL’S PROPOSED ‘ACTION PLAN’ AGAINST LASHKAR, JAISH STUMPS PAKISTAN AT SCO

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval left Pakistan red-faced at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet in Dushanbe on Wednesday, when he proposed an action plan against Pakistan-based terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeT) as part of SCO framework.

During the meeting, National Security Advisors of member countries pledged cooperation in the joint fight against international terrorism, extremism and separatism. Doval strongly condemned “terrorism in all forms and manifestations” and said that perpetrators of terrorism, including cross-border terror attacks, should be expeditiously brought to justice. He said there is a need to monitor new technologies used by terrorists, including drones for smuggling of weapons and misuse of dark web, artificial intelligence, blockchain and social media. He added that there is a need for full Implementation of UN resolutions and targeted sanctions against UN designated terrorist individuals and entities.

The meeting also discussed cooperation between member states in ensuring reliable information security, the joint fight against cybercrime, and the issues of biological security and food security in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The meeting was addressed by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon. NSA Doval was also one of the participants in the meeting. Pakistani NSA Moeed Yusuf also attended this meeting. He had earlier said that there is no possibility of a bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart on the sidelines of the SCO meet.

Last year in September, Doval had left the SCO’s virtual meeting midway after Pakistan showed a “fictitious” map violating the agenda of the gathering. However, in recent months, Pakistani political and army leadership seems to have toned down rhetoric against India.