Amit Shah Urges BIMSTEC Nations to Deny Terror Networks Any Safe Haven in the Region

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday asked India's Bay of Bengal neighbours to work far more closely against terrorism, organised crime and the money that sustains them. Speaking at the first Home Ministers' Meeting of BIMSTEC in New Delhi, Shah said no country in the region should become a safe haven for terrorist groups.

BIMSTEC, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, brings together Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The grouping has largely focused on trade, connectivity and technical cooperation, which makes a dedicated meeting of interior ministers a notable expansion of its agenda into internal security.

Shared Security, Shared Responsibility

Shah restated India's policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism and argued that security in the region is interconnected. Each member's security arrangements, he said, must take into account the safety of its neighbours.

He set out specific lines that he said should not be crossed. Terror groups should not be able to establish bases or training centres anywhere in the region, should not be able to raise funds there, and should not be allowed to use one member country against another. That last point carries weight in a neighbourhood where cross-border militant activity has long strained relations between governments.

Intelligence and Extradition

On the practical side, Shah called for timely exchange of verified, actionable information through existing nodal agencies. That would cover terrorists and their associates, criminal networks, their financial channels and cross-border movements.

He also pressed members to make better use of mutual legal assistance and extradition so that criminals can be brought to justice, while working within each country's national laws and existing agreements. Extradition has historically been slow and politically sensitive across South Asia, and the emphasis on existing frameworks suggests India is seeking faster use of current arrangements rather than proposing a new treaty for now.

Drugs as a Funding Pipeline

A large part of Shah's address focused on narcotics. He said drug smuggling cannot be stopped by any one country acting alone and called for a whole-of-region approach. Illegal drug money, he said, strengthens organised crime and is also used to finance terrorism.

He flagged two complications that make enforcement harder: the diversion of precursor chemicals used to make synthetic drugs, and transactions conducted through the dark web. Both cross borders easily and are difficult for a single national agency to track, which is why he pushed for joint action.

Why It Matters

For India, the meeting offers a regional platform to push its long-standing position that terrorism and its financing must be treated as collective problems. For smaller BIMSTEC members, closer cooperation could bring better access to intelligence and enforcement capacity, though it will also raise questions about sovereignty and how information is shared.

Concrete outcomes will depend on whether members agree to regular ministerial meetings, joint mechanisms on drugs and terror finance, or faster extradition processes. Tuesday's meeting set out India's priorities; follow-through will show how far the rest of the grouping is willing to go.

This is an original summary based on public reporting. See our editorial policy for how we source, write, and correct our stories.