Muskan Dabas
IIGLIRD208740
Indian Institute of Governance and Leadership
15 August 2025
PAPER- IV
EMERGING TRENDS IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
INDIA’S ROLE IN SHAPING THE GLOBAL PUBLIC DISCOURSE AROUND TRANS-
BORDER/GLOBAL TERRORISM
Terrorism is a crime against humanity, one of the most heinous and serious forms of crime
percolating our societies. Just as our present-day societies have evolved with time and
technology, so has Terrorism assumed new forms and proportions. It has now become a
Global menace which requires international and interstate cooperation to resolve and create a
peaceful environment endured with stability.
Terrorism can largely and broadly be defined as a method of coercion that utilizes or
threatens to utilize violence in order to spread fear and thereby attain political or ideological
goals. The term terrorism was initially coined to describe the Reign of terror, the period of the
French Revolution from September 1793 to 27 th July 1794, during which the Revolutionary
Government directed violence and harsh measures against citizens suspected of being
enemies of the Revolution. This incident gives us a glimpse into the origins of the word, but
Terrorism a phenomenon is ancient inherent in political systems and their legal warfare
tactics.
There are legal scholars and academicians who have studied and analyzed Terrorism and
written about the phenomena expansively. In terms of Terrorist strategy, a way to
conceptualize the evolution of modern terrorism as a resort to revolutionary violence is
provided by David Rapoport’s influential concept of ‘waves’ of terrorism, wherein he
describes 4 waves of Terrorism- which can be described as - The late nineteenth century/
early twentieth century anarchist wave, Anti- Colonial wave and others. The theory suggests
that Terrorist groups rise and fall and are impacted by the conditions of and changes in social
and political cultures.
In contrast, another group of theorists Parker and Sitter posit that violent terrorist situations
occur around the world because terrorist actors are motivated differently through four goal-
oriented strains- socialism, nationalism, religious extremism, or exclusionism.
Global or Inter-State Terrorism are these acts of violence and threats carried out by
individuals or groups with the goal of intimidating government or populations to achieve
political or ideological aims often transcending national borders. The Global terrorism can
further be divided into two categories- State sponsored and non-state terrorism. It is the state
sponsored terrorism which involves actions by a government against the citizens of other
states that has come into prominence lately and has been at the center of discourse by India
relating to it’s national security concerns.
Now coming over to India and how terrorism has impacted the nation as well as India’s
response becomes the key factors to analyze. India not just gained independence on 15 th
August 1947, but at the same time was divided into two separate Nations from a single land
mass, the Muslim majority regions of Punjab and Bengal along with the provinces of Sindh,
Balochistan and North-west Frontier province carved out the Islamic state of ‘Pakistan’.
It is in this historical background setting that the centerpiece element of Kashmir comes into
play. Jammu and Kashmir was a princely state who was assimilated into India by signing of
the notice by their Hindu Maharaja, but because of its muslin majority demography it was
claimed by Pakistan, and over the years this contestation over territory grew violent with
neighboring countries of Pakistan and China making repeated armed transgressions along the
Line of Control LOC and LAC. Pakistan controls around 30 per cent of land that includes
Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan and China around 15 per cent that includes the Aksai-
Chin Area, the rest around 55 per cent is controlled and occupied by India.
Multiple wars including the 1962, Sino- India war, Indo- Pak war of 1971, thereafter the
massive Kargil war of 1999 ,2008 horrific Mumbai attcaks,2019 Pulwama attack the recent
2020 Galwan crisis, and the heinous Pahalgam Terror attack on April 22, 2025 and the
resulting India- Pakistan war like situations point out to the failure of repeated agreements
and arrangements brought in by US as well International agencies to maintain peace and
stability along the fragile Nuclear powered neighbors.
The abrogation of article 370 which rendered special status to Kashmir and the growing
prosperity in the region are the political factors behind the resurgence of terrorism in Jammu
and Kashmir. Various International Agency reports have established the fact Pakistan and
Afghanistan, which is now openly run by Taliban, a UN declared terrorist front, are countries
shielding and harboring Terrorism.
Satellite imagery from FBI has pointed out towards existence of several terrorist camps in
Pakistan, and a fertile ground for terrorist proxy organizations against India such as Lashkar-e
Taiba which operates under its commander Hafiz Saeed, responsible behind Mumbai Terror
Attacks as well as groups like Indian Mujahideen. And Jaish e – Muhammad, established in
2000 by Mazhood Azhar. Pakistan and its role in harboring terrorist fronts and proliferating
its Jihadist ideology is well known globally and was also grey listed by FATF, but powers like
USA and China, due to their intrinsic self-interests inherent have not supported the discourse
meaningfully to label those responsible for taking millions of innocent lives.
But the recent power shift at the Centre and India’s growing economic clout has made a
transformative change in New Delhi’s approach to tackle this menace of Terrorism and
showing its intolerance boldly to the global world. But this has been a recent policy stance
since 2014, after the change of political dispensation at helm, but to grasp the idea better, it
becomes pertinent to understand how the current political discourse around terrorism has seen
shaped by years of different policy approaches through changing Government’s at the Centre.
Analyzing from a critical perspective, New Delhi has had modest success in it’s efforts to
internationally isolate Pakistan as a state sponsored terrorist state, the change of stance in
America towards Terrorism was majorly post 9/11 twin tower attacks by Osama Bin Laden
and hence the long war fought in Afghanistan against Taliban, but eventually backtracking
due to financial and political measures. Lashkar- Toiba responsible for orchestrating the
heinous Mumbai Terror attacks which killed 166 people and injured hundreds and shook the
national conscious to the core stand aloft, propagating their jihadist attitudes, are being
shielded and nurtured on the Pakistani soil today. Among those 10 militants, majority were
British And US citizens, who are being protected and secured.US extradited Tahawwur Rana,
the man who with his close aid David Headley were the masterminds behind the attack after
repeated claims of declaring him dead and by playing the double standards of never
extraditing the mastermind David Headley, a US citizen to be lodged life long in Chicago.
So, even after years of efforts at the International forums, repeated calls at United Nations
Security Council (UNSC), ICJ, FATF, India stands at a tough spot, and even worse
throughout these years India has been repeatedly convinced by US and UK governments that
New Delhi and Islamabad share the common objective of defeating ‘Terrorism’. Hypocrisy at
its peak!
Mumbai Terror attack followed by Pulwama tragedy all provides a snapshot of what is wrong
with India’s efforts to fight terrorism through global Governance processes. Reliance on
Foreign policy activism to rally moral outrage against a rogue state like Pakistan fails when
that state has nuclear weapons, a clear propaganda line that terrorism is a by product of
territorial disputes and an economic and military patron in China, who yields a binding veto
in UN Security Council, ensuring that all of India’s efforts to sanction Pakistan will come to
naught. India made international cooperation the cornerstone of it’s efforts to combat
Pakistan sponsored terrorism which has not yielded proportionate results as the history of
counterterrorism suggests that all states regardless of public pronouncements to the contrary
will strike deals with foreign terrorists in order to keep their own citizens safe from the
attack. Only with regard to domestic terrorism of which there is hardly any in the west that
merits media or policy attention is the tough rhetoric matched by operational reality. India’s
projecting of a moral power at the international stage too needs a transformative approach
and move from the era of non-alignment.
But, at present India has undergone transformation which is reflected in the Balakot strikes
after Pulwama attack and the response displayed in the wake of Pahalgam Terror attack, as
‘Operation Sindoor’, wherein India targeted Terrorist Camps deep into the Territory of
Pakistan, inflicting serious damage to Terrorist camps and infrastructure. The world was
stunned by India’s proportionate precision strikes and how in the coming days, our forces
fought valiantly with air strikes, countering swarm drones using S-400 missile system and
indigenous air defense like ‘Akaashteer’. Further, at Press Briefing of Operation Sindoor, Our
Women Officers and Commander of Forces did not hesitate to openly show photographs of
Pakistani Terrorists being Offered State Honors at their Funerals, reinforcing Pakistan’s
identity of a state sponsored terrorists state.
India sent a clear message at the global stage that Terrorism and talk cannot go hand in hand;
by suspending the long fraught Indus Water Treaty, the message was clear blood and water
will not flow together. Apart from that, India’s rejection of any mediation by a 3 rd partner
country was also important, India outrightly rejected US President Donald Trump’s claims of
trade pressures which inflicted India to succumb, and hence cease the war. On the other hand,
India thwarted Pakistan’s attempts to internationalise the Kashmir issue and has repeatedly
called it a Bilateral issue, forcing Pakistani Officials to come to talks directly with India, in
order for the war to cease. This iron fist approach of strength and power yields a changed
dynamic at the political helm, wherein Terrorism and the associated efforts to radicalize,
divide, spurt communal tensions and fundamentalist ideologies will be countered headfirst
and headstrongly.
Over the years, India’s efforts at international forums to engage global world on discussions
around Global Terrorism and create a public discourse around it has emerged to be successful
along certain lines. After looking at the flip side of these talks and changing approach, let us
dwell at India’s efforts to better understand the changing viewpoints.
As the Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee at the United Nations Security Council,
India made attempts to re-invigorate the counter terrorism agenda. It highlighted the
expansion of Al-Qaida, Da’esh, Boko Haram and Al Shabab and their affiliates, as well as the
growing forms of terrorist attacks such as Lone-Wolf attacks inspired by online
radicalization, and the expanding network of Terror Financing using Darkweb,
cryptocurrency bypassing the traditional hawala transactions and money laundering networks.
The use of technology is the new weaponry used by Terrorists and is the new domain where
international cooperation and collaboration needs to be enhanced.
In terms of highlighting the challenges, India raised the issue of ‘Double standards’ in
countering terrorism, leading to concerns of Politicization. Absence of uniform criteria in
applying sanctions to prosecuting terrorists is another serious issue. At the end of the Chair,
India reflected on the success of adoption of ‘Delhi Declaration’, a landmark document and
the urgency to combat terrorism.
Apart from shaping discourse at UNSC, India has been an active spokesperson against
Terrorism at FATF( Financial Action Task Force) , which was set up on the sidelines of G7
summit in 1989, India became it’s 34th member in 2010, and has declared Zero Tolerance
towards Terror Financing and Money Laundering as it’s goal, In consonance with risk based
legislative frameworks, India has implemented Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002,
and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967, and has vociferously called for Grey listing
Pakistan to curb and restrict it’s terror financing.
India also participated at the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF), Eurasian Group of
Money Laundering and financing of Terrorism and the Dushanbe process.
India has also played an active and multi-faceted role in curbing Terrorism through various
Regional Organizations, such as-
1.BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation)
India has made counter Terrorism a priority within the security architecture of this grouping
by formulating a working group on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational crime focused on
areas like Intelligence sharing, legal cooperation, countering radicalization and combating
Terror Financing.
2. SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation)
SAARC has a Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters aimed at
enhancing cooperation against cross border crime and terrorism.
3. RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure) of SCO
The primary purpose for establishment of RATS was to facilitate cooperation among member
states in combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism. India, hosted the RATS Council
meeting in 2022 emphasizing the impacts of terrorism in Afghanistan as well as addressing
the misuse of internet and new information technologies by terrorist groups.
4. QUAD Forum
5.ASEAN Regional Forum
6. G20
7. European Union
Besides these Regional Forums, India’s approach includes information exchange, capacity
building for partner countries combating terror financing with international bodies,
preventing the misuse of technology and mutual legal assistance, and promoting
multilateralism are some of the key significant strategies.
It is through these ways and alternatives, that India has shaped global discourse over
terrorism and in the previous year India has cooperated at International level at multiple
stages, with multiple countries to put forward its stance of Zero Tolerance towards Terrorism,
but there is a subtle underlying change in the ways of engagement , it is no longer
interdependence but a willful cooperative engagement on equal footing , rather than being
suppressed as a 3rd world nation. India is assertive about its stance and has engaged with like
minded countries to form a viewpoint that finds resonance across Governments and States
regarding Terrorism. At present, India has Joint Working Groups on counter-terrorism with 26
countries.
It is in this context that quotation by Jacques Chirac fits by- “Terrorism has become the
systematic weapon of a war that knows no borders and seldom had a face.”
Therefore as a concluding remark, Terrorism is a global crime which requires combined
solutions and a strong intent to work towards it’s erasure, At this hour of global uncertainties,
with instability in West Asia and Europe, it’s a reminder to the entire humanity that Terrorism
and its proponents do not see nationality and statehood, innocent lives lost in any part of the
World is a loss, and therefore a joint effort is the need of the hour. Narrow redefining of state
boundaries and citizenship, and practicing protectionism may yield output in the short run but
it is bound to be a comprehensive failure in the longer run.
REFERENCES
The following sources have been referred in order to write this Research Report, along with
self- analysis and a holistic understanding of the given topic.
Some of the sources are-
1. www.orf.online.com (Article: India and the Global Discourse on State Sponsored
Terrorism by Prem Mahadevan)
2. UNSC briefing on Global Counter Terrorism Approach
3. Sagejournals.com (Article: India’s Counter-Terrorism diplomacy at the United
Nations)
4. www.mea.gov.in (Annual Report 2024)
5. IIGL course material on Diploma in International Affairs and Diplomacy (Paper-IV)
