Quad slams Red Fort blast, says bring culprits to justice

NEW DELHI: Even as uncertainty looms over the Quad summit, the grouping held a meeting of its counterterrorism working group and unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism.In a joint statement, the members also expressed their condolences for the “heinous terror incident” near Red Fort in Delhi last month, called for the perpetrators, organisers and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice, and urged all UN member states to cooperate in doing so.With India and the US yet to finalise a bilateral trade agreement that is crucial for their relationship, the Quad summit could not take place this year, and there’s no formal word on when India might be able to host it in 2026. However, Quad has remained engaged at the level of officials on issues of interest in the Indo-Pacific. In Sept, Indiahosted counterterrorismworkshops that included a technical exchange on misuse of Unmanned Aerial Systems/drones by terrorists and a seminar on preventing terrorist exploitation of new and emerging technologies, including for terror-financing.During the meeting last week, the Quad member countries exchanged assessments on the terrorism threat landscape, including developments in the Indo-Pacific region.“They discussed the full spectrum of counterterrorism cooperation and measures that could be used to address existing and emerging challenges. They underscored the importance of ensuring the Indo-Pacific remains open and free from the threats of terrorism,” said the joint statement.A Tabletop Exercise (TTx) on “Counter Terrorism Operations in the Urban Environment” was also conducted. The TTx provided CT experts an opportunity to share their best practices and identify potential opportunities for joint operational preparedness to respond to complex terrorist scenarios, said the statement.“The Quad partners reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation in multilateral fora. They also emphasised the value of continued information sharing on terrorists, terrorist organisations and their proxies,” it said.Slap UN sanctions on LeT, JeM: India, USIndia and the US have called for additional designation of IS and al-Qaida affiliates, and LeT and JeM and their proxy groups, supporters, sponsors, financiers and backers under UN 1267 sanctions regime, ensuring they face a global asset freeze. The two renewed their commitment to strengthen multilateral cooperation in countering terrorism including in UN, Quad, FATF.