Speaking at a BIMSTEC gathering on Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah put forward the position that member nations should build on shared confidence and coordinated effort to bolster regional security, while also conveying that cross-border terrorist activity should be countered through a unified commitment among participating states.

Speaking at the inaugural BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting held in the capital, Shah put forward the position that member nations' security frameworks should work in tandem and reinforce each other when addressing terrorism and cross-border threats. His delegation's written statement described the country's approach to terrorism as one of absolute non-tolerance.

Shah called on all parties in the region to collectively ensure that no territory is used to shelter, enlist, train, supply, or conduct operations directed at neighbouring states. He conveyed that mutual confidence among member states deepens when each country's protective apparatus actively contributes to the broader defence of its partners.

The Home Minister, speaking to the need for coordinated regional action, conveyed that the BIMSTEC Convention framework provided the basis through which member states could jointly address terrorism, organised crime, and drug trafficking — areas where the country had pledged its continued participation and practical support.

Shah noted that organised groups with transnational reach tend to identify and exploit gaps in local governance or enforcement, and that these networks are undergoing rapid transformation. Regional cooperation figures as a distinct priority within the way the organisation conducts its work.

Coordinated action across borders, Shah noted, formed the backbone of what member nations would need to pursue — aligning their security frameworks so that each country's protective apparatus reinforces the others.

Over the span of twelve years, measures taken to address terrorism have consistently followed a policy of non-tolerance toward such acts. Tighter statutes, restructured institutions, and the pooling of intelligence data have brought central and state bodies into closer operational alignment with one another.

Efforts to curb cross-border militant activity, break apart the networks that fund armed groups, and bring law enforcement and security agencies up to modern standards have together strengthened the country's overall defence and public safety framework. Investments in digital defence infrastructure have broadened the capacity to identify and counter threats that were not previously anticipated.

Recorded data on internal security point to a pattern of fewer attacks, declining casualties among both civilians and personnel in uniform, and broader gains in public safety, development, and national resilience — outcomes that coincide with the period of ongoing effort described.

Spanning the divide between South Asia and Southeast Asia, BIMSTEC — the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation — draws together seven nations: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka on the South Asian side, alongside Myanmar and Thailand representing Southeast Asia.

The BIMSTEC grouping covers a population of roughly 1.7 billion people — nearly a quarter of all humanity — whose economies together generate output of around USD 5 trillion.

Gathered under the banner of the inaugural BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting, member states found a formal venue to advance joint efforts against terrorism, organised crime, and drug trafficking, with India underlining the value of shared trust and coordinated security arrangements as foundations for a more stable region.