ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2004
(Mumbai, 6th & 7th September, 2004)
CUSTOMS ROLE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM
By - P.K. Gupta
Supdt. of Customs (P), Mumbai
India is braving terrorist attacks since early eighties. A prosperous state of Punjab started sliding backward economically due to increased terrorist activity in the eighties. Scenic beauty of Kashmir Valley is witnessing more blood than tourists since late eighties. Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own security men on 31st October, 1984 in the aftermath of "Operation Blue Star" while Shri Rajeev Gandhi was assassinated by a 'Suicide Bomber' in the course of election campaign in May, 1991. There are well planned and well coordinated terrorist attacks on all symbols of Indian State since intrusion of terror in Kashmir. Acts of mass terrorism had displaced many families from their houses and forced them to live like refugees in other places. Indian intelligence had gathered enough evidence showing encouragement as well intrusion of terrorists prepared in land across the western border of India. The terrible tragedies caused by monstrous terrorism in India, did not attract attention of world community till the acts of mass terrorism invaded USA by striking in New York and Washington on 11th Sept. 2001. In a span of 20 minutes on 11th Sept. 2001, the twin towers of World Trade Centre in New York were brought down to debris by slamming two passenger aircrafts guided by suicide terrorist attack. Another hijacked passenger aircraft crashed in the Defence Headquarters of U.S.A. causing noticeable damages and terror in the minds of peace loving people. Thus, the terrorists selected the symbols of economic and military might to shake the sole world super power. These acts of mass terrorism were unimaginable even by the merchandise of dreams viz. Hollywood Bollywood and other film makers/fiction writers till it was executed with precision on 11th Sept. 2001 causing deaths of thousands of innocent people. There were further efforts to cause terror by sending anthrax to selected targets by mail.
These dastardly acts of mass terrorism vindicated India's assertion that terrorism had emerged as a global threat and needed global response. The whole world recognized international terrorism as the greatest enemy of modem times. India had offered full support to the global effort to eliminate terrorism from the planet and to bring terrorists to justice. In immediate aftermath of terrorist attacks in USA, Indian State suffered precisely planned terrorist attacks on the J & K legislative assembly, Parliament of India, military camp in Kaluchak and religious places such as Akshar Dham in Ahmedabad and Raghunath Mandir in Jammu. Indian leadership had marched Indian Army to western border, alerted IAF and Indian Navy and launched a strong diplomatic offensive to punish the perpetrators of the evil of terrorism in the guise of freedom struggle. Such an offensive made the world community to support Indian effort to eliminate terrorism in her territory.
As an immediate response to the 11th Sept., terror attacks in USA, the United Nations Security Council had adopted Resolution No. 1373 (2001) dated 28.9.01, re-affirming its unequivocal condemnation of the terrorists attacks and expressing determination of world community to prevent all such attacks. This Resolution makes it obligatory for States to complement international co-operation by taking additional measures to prevent and suppress in their territories the financing and preparation of acts of terrorism.
Paragraph 4 of the Resolution notes concern of world community to the close connection between international terrorism and transnational organized crime viz. illicit drug trafficking, money laundering, illegal cross trafficking, illegal movement of nuclear/chemical/biological weapons and other potentially deadly materials. The Resolution emphasizes the need to enhance co-ordination of efforts on national, sub-regional, regional and international levels in order to strengthen a global response to it.
The World Customs Organisation Council had taken note of the U.N. Resolution. The H.S. Committee of World Customs Organisation Council examined the issue of listing chemicals in the schedule of annexes to the 'Convention on the Prohibition of Development, Production, Stock Piling and Use of Chemical Weapon and Their Destruction' which will help to facilitate the collection of comparison of data on the international movement of substances capable of being used as chemical weapons or for production of chemical weapons. The 'Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal' agreed in 1989 and carne into force under the auspices of 'United Nation's Environment Programme' in 1992, ensures strict control over the movement of hazardous waste across borders as well as prevention of illegal traffic. The 'Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances' adopted on 6.12.88 ensures strict control over cultivation and production of narcotic drugs and production and movement of psychotropic substances. India is having borders with nations known as 'Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle' in narcotics parlance. Narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances are established to be the financial muscle of terrorists who are being prepared for acts of terrorist tragedies in the vicinity of Indian borders.
It is notable that the fight against terrorism needs a mechanism of strengthened security control at the border where the customs services mainly operate. Strengthened border controls apply to land border, airports, ports, roads and railways and take in its ambit the movement of men, goods, conveyance and mail which are subjected to checks by the customs administration at the entry/exit point. Therefore, the, effective enforcement and imposition of law by customs services impose very significant role on Customs in the global fight against terrorism. Customs services within Nations need to be strengthened by having global co-operation on the movement of men, goods, conveyance and mail as well by training customs personnel’s to meet the new challenge to eliminate monstrous acts of mass terrorism to prepare the humanity to live without fear on this planet.