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Prime Minister Modi recalled when the nation saw the dark face of terror long before the world took serious note of it. He said the long-term impact of terrorism is particularly hard on the poor and the local economy. “Be it tourism or trade, nobody likes an area that is constantly under threat. The livelihoods of people are snatched away due to terrorism. It is important that we strike at the root of terror financing.”
Sometimes there are indirect arguments made in support of terrorism to block action against terrorists. There is no place for an ambiguous approach while dealing with a global threat. “There is no good terrorism and bad terrorism. It is an attack on humanity, freedom and civilisation. It knows no boundaries”, the Prime Minister emphasised. Only a uniform, unified and zero-tolerance approach can defeat terrorism.
But there is a marked difference between fighting a terrorist and fighting terrorism, as Modi also acknowledged. A terrorist may be neutralised with weapons and immediate tactical responses but these tactical gains will soon be lost without a larger strategy aimed at hurting their finances. “A terrorist is an individual but terrorism is a network of individuals.” We must pursue terrorists, break their support networks and hit their finances.
State support is one of the major sources of political, ideological and financial support for terrorism. Certain countries support terrorists as part of their foreign policy. There must be a cost imposed on those nations. Organisations and individuals that try to create sympathy for terrorists must also be isolated. The world needs to unite against all kinds of overt and covert backing of terror.
Organised crime is also another source of terror funding and there are deep links between criminal gangs and terrorist outfits. At times, even activities like money laundering and financial crimes have been known to help terror funding.
New kinds of technology are being used for terror financing and recruitment. Challenges from the dark net, private currencies and more are emerging. There is a need for a uniform understanding of new finance technologies. It is also important to involve the private sector in these efforts.
To be continued....