India's contribution in preventing and combating Terrorism
India has played a major part in strengthening international consensus against terrorism in UN, Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). India is party to major international conventions against terrorism and has also incorporated them in domestic legislation.
International Conventions
i) Convention on Offences and certain other Acts committed on Board Aircraft, signed at Tokyo on 14th September, 1963.
This Convention has been given effect to in India by the Tokyo Convention Act, 1975 (20 of 1975)
ii) Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft, signed at the Hague on 16th September, 1973.
This Convention is implemented through the Anti-Hijacking Act, 1982 (Act No. 65) of 1982)
iii) Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation, concluded at Montreal on 23rd September, 1971 and the 1988 Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts of Violence at Airports serving International Civil Aviation Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982 (66 of 1982).
This Convention is implemented through the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982 (66 of 1982)
iv) Convention on the Prevention and Punishment. of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, including Diplomatic Agents, adopted in New York on 14th December, 1973.
This Convention is implemented through the provisions of the Indian Penal Code, 1960
v) International Convention against the taking of hostages, adopted in New York on 7th December, 1979.
This is given effect in India under section 364 A of the Indian Penal Code, 1960
vi) UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988.
This is implemented in India by the Narcotic Drug and Psychotropic Substances (amendment) Act, 1989 which amended the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985
vii) International Conventions against the taking of hostages, adopted in New York on 7th December, 1979.
This is already covered, and implemented under Article 364 A of Indian Penal Code.
viii) International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings. The Convention was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1997.
India has signed the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings on September 17, 1999. Union Cabinet has already agreed to ratify the Convention on August 5, 1999.
Regional Conventions
i) SAARC Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism, 1987
This is implemented in India by SAARC Convention (Suppression of Terrorism) Act, 1993 (36 of 1993)
ii) SAARC Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1990
Since the provisions are basically based on the UN 1988 Convention, the provisions of the SAARC Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism are implementable under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 as amended in 1989.
Non-Aligned Movement
India has also played a role in evolving NAM consensus against terrorism. NAM has unequivocally affirmed that criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons, for whatever purposes, are unjustifiable. XIIth NAM Summit at Durban in 1998 has also re-affirmed that all Member States have an obligation to refrain from organising, assisting or participating in terrorist acts in the territories of other States. The Summit unequivocally condemned any political, diplomatic, moral or material support to terrorism. The NAM Summit also called for early adoption and implementation of a comprehensive convention against international terrorism