India, ASEAN strongly condemn terrorism in all forms, manifestations at 13th SOMTC
New Delhi, June 20
India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, during the 13th ASEAN-India Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crimes.
According to a release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday, the meeting, which was held in virtual mode on June 17, was co-chaired by Vinod Bahade, Joint Secretary (Counter Terrorism) in the MEA, from the Indian side, and Nestor B Sanares, Under Secretary for Peace and Order, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippines, representing the ASEAN side.
Both sides strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and specifically denounced cross-border terrorism.
They also condemned the terrorist attack that took place on April 22, 2025, in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which led to the death of 26 people, as well as the terror incident near the Red Fort in New Delhi on November 10, 2025.
The two sides also underscored the need to strengthen international cooperation to effectively combat terrorism and transnational crimes in a comprehensive and sustained manner.
"Both sides strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. They further condemned the heinous terrorist attack on 22 April 2025 in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, India and the terror incident on 10 November 2025 near the Red Fort, New Delhi. Both sides emphasised the need to strengthen international cooperation to combat terrorism and transnational crimes in a comprehensive and sustained manner," the statement read.
During the consultation, India and ASEAN discussed enhancing cooperation in areas including terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, human trafficking, international economic crimes, and cybercrime under the ASEAN-India Work Plan on combating Transnational Crimes.
"During the Consultation, both sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation inter alia, in the areas of terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, human trafficking, international economic crime and cyber crime under the framework of ASEAN - India Work Plan to combat Transnational Crimes," the statement added.
The MEA stated that institutional linkages and capacity-building programmes between both sides were also discussed to further strengthen collaboration.
The statement added that the 14th ASEAN-India SOMTC Consultation on Transnational Crimes will be held in Singapore in 2027.
— ANI
Reader Comments
It's reassuring to see India and ASEAN united against terrorism. The mention of Pahalgam and Red Fort attacks shows how deeply these tragedies affect us. But I hope cybercrime and drug trafficking get equal attention—these are the silent killers of our youth. Good move by MEA. 👍
All these meetings are good for optics. But ground reality? Terrorism still thrives because of state sponsors who get a free pass. Condemnation is easy; choking funding and dismantling safe havens is hard. India should push ASEAN for a joint task force, not just virtual talks.
My heart goes out to the families of Pahalgam and Red Fort victims. 26 innocent lives lost, and 26 families shattered. This condemnation means little unless it translates into compensation and justice for the victims. India must also work with ASEAN to monitor social media platforms used for radicalization.
Kudos to India for taking this up with ASEAN. We need more such multilateral platforms to isolate state sponsors of terror. But I worry about the 'heinous terrorist attack' language being diluted when it comes to naming the perpetrators. Let's call a spade a spade—Pahalgam had clear signatures. Anyway, good step.
Impressive that India is leading this dialogue. But let's not forget—terrorism is also fueled by poverty and lack of education in some ASEAN regions. A holistic approach is needed, combining security with development aid. The capacity-building programs mentioned are promising. Hope they include women and youth perspectives. 🌸
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.