INTERPOL General Assembly – 90th Session

In News

• The Union Home minister recently addressed the concluding session of the 90th INTERPOL General Assembly.
  • This session was hosted by India in New Delhi.

India’s recommendations for INTERPOL

• Setting up of permanent platforms:
  • India recommended to Interpol that setting up permanent counter-terrorism and anti-narcotics real-time information exchange platforms.
    • These platforms would further strengthen the coordination and sustained action by the member countries against the global menaces.
    • For a united response,
    • India is also committed to extending all possible technical and manpower assistance to the global police organisation in this regard.
  • A similar approach was required to ensure effective action against the international drug trafficking networks, for which 
    • Deeper cooperation among the countries, 
    • Intelligence-based operations, 
    • Regional maritime security accords and 
    • Efficient anti-money laundering system were also essential.
• Good and bad terrorism:
  • Describing terrorism as the worst form of human rights violation, the Home Minister said a general consensus would have to be developed on the definitions of “terrorism” and “terrorist”. 
  • The narratives of “good” and “bad” terrorism and “small” and “big” terrorism would weaken the fight against the threat which was high on Interpol’s priority list. 
• Plan of Action:
  • Shah also suggested that Interpol prepare a plan for the next 50 years on the basis of its experience and achievements of the past 100 years.

• India’s efforts in combating crimes:
  • Establishment of National Forensic Science University; an inter-operable criminal justice system; and linking of e-courts, e-prisons, e-forensics and e-prosecution with the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems.
  • The Indian government has also decided to create a national database on crimes such as terrorism, narcotics and economic offences.
  • India has established the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, I4C, to combat cyber-crime in a comprehensive manner.

Terrorism

• An offence to intimidate a population or to compel a government or an international organisation to do or abstain from doing any act, which causes:

• Death or serious bodily injury to any person.
• Serious damage to public or private property, including a place of public use, a State or government facility, a public transportation system, an infrastructure facility or the environment.
• Damage to property, places, facilities, or systems resulting in or likely to result in a major economic loss.
• It encompasses a range of complex threats like organized terrorism in conflict zones, foreign terrorist fighters, radicalised ‘lone wolves’, etc.

• Factors Responsible for Growth of Terrorism:
  • State-sponsorship and safe havens.
  • State-of-the-art communication systems.
  • Access to advanced technology.
  • Networking of terrorist groups with the criminal underworld.
• Pakistan’s ‘good’ and ‘bad’ terrorists:
  • Pakistan’s stand:
    • Pakistan’s Army General in one of his speeches stated that as far as his country, army and ISI are concerned, there are clearly ‘good and bad’ terrorists. 
    • He stated that Pakistan was a victim of ‘bad terrorists’, implying terrorism emanating from Afghanistan.
    • Without naming India, he added that Islamabad supports ‘good terrorism’ if it is against any country it considers oppressive. 
    • In his opinion, India is an oppressive force in Kashmir. Thus, he officially admitted that Pakistan does support terror groups operating against India.
  • Realistically for Pakistan, the more it attempts to follow good versus bad terror, the more it would face destabilisation.