By Gaurav Sharma
Beijing, June 19 (IANS) India on Monday said Brics needs to cooperate on counter-terrorism as the Foreign Ministers meet of the five-member bloc began here.
China has said the issue of terrorism would be discussed candidly at the meet of the five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as New Delhi seemed poised to raise the issue of branding Pakistani militant Masood Azhar as an international terrorist.
India’s Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh, who is attending the meeting, said the National Security Advisers of all the member countries will meet in July.
“The Brics Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism concluded its meeting in May 2017,” Singh said.
“In the Delhi meeting last year, they (National Security Advisers) reached a significant understanding to enhance Brics cooperation in security and counter-terrorism matter,” he added.
“Our permanent representatives in New York and Geneva coordinate regularly on issues of mutual and common interests.”
Azhar, head of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group, is wanted for a January 2016 terror attack at the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot, Punjab.
China has rejected India’s resolution at the UN to designate Azhar as an international terrorist.
(Gaurav Sharma is the Beijing-based correspondent of IANS. He can be contacted at sharmagaurav71@gmail.com and gauravians@yahoo.com)
