Economic Times
by Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, ET Bureau
India is working with North African country of Morocco and even contemplating a Joint Working Group on terrorism and Extradition Treaty to fight the menace amid the growth of Islamic State (IS) and various offshoots of Al Qaeda in the region spanning from Africa to the Gulf.
Addressing a roundtable on ‘India and Morocco: Imperatives of Cooperation’, here on Friday evening Secretary (East) MEA Anil Wadhwa said that both India and Morocco “need to fight terror through not just bilateral but also regional and international cooperation”. Morocco, located less than 20-km away from Europe, not only houses picturesque tourist destinations, but also a symbol of liberal religious thought in the region.
“The setting up of a joint working group on terrorism between India and Morocco can no longer be postponed. We have been talking about it for a long time,” said Wadhwa adding that inking of an extradition treaty and a mutual legal assistance treaty in criminal matters would strengthen counter-terror cooperation.
He pointed out that “immense potential” exists to take the relationship to a politically higher level and through senior level interactions. The Round Table was organised by Delhi-based think tank Society for Policy Studies.
Wadhwa said it is imperative for India and Morocco to jointly evolve stronger counter terrorism and intelligence strategy for real time exchange of information and help arrest the flow of terror finance.
The senior diplomat who had visited Morocco last year for official talks said that both countries should “speak in one voice of the determination to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It is a phenomenon for which there can be no justification whatsoever”
“It is important to recognize that the IS seeks to capture the hearts and minds of the vulnerable sections of the population, which makes it imperative for us to pose an ideological challenge by emphasizing the values of plurality , diversity, religious tolerance, moderation – values both India and Morocco subscribe to,” pointed out Wadhwa who had earlier served as India’s envoy in Oman.
Bollywood also provides strong link between India and Morocco with Amitabh Bachchan and Sharukh Khan hugely popular there.
Moroccan Ambassador to India Larbi Reffouh who also spoke on the occasion asserted that his country promotes moderate, tolerant and progressive Islam and launched a new training for imams to prevent growth of extremism.
He said Indo-Moroccan cooperation is imperative to tackle the “plague of terrorism”.
During the past decade Morocco has destroyed 130 terror cells, arrested 2,720 terror suspects and foiled 266 terror plans.
Morocco is also training imams of the Arab countries, Africa and Europe. In order to fight terrorism Rabat has formed a group of 30 countries – Group of Friends on Counter terrorism – India and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council are members ot that.
