India, Uzbekistan Deepen Counterterrorism Cooperation

Senior officials from India and Uzbekistan convened in Tashkent for the 9th session of their India-Uzbekistan Joint Working Group on Counterterrorism, reaffirming their commitment to deeper cooperation against evolving security threats.

The meeting was co‑chaired by Dr. Vinod D. Bahade, Joint Secretary for Counterterrorism at India’s Ministry of External Affairs, and Gulomzhon Pirimkulov, Head of the Department for Cooperation with South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa at Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Caspian Post informs via Uzbek media.

Key Discussion Areas

Global and regional threats: The delegations examined the challenges posed by terrorist organizations, including radicalization, extremist propaganda, terrorist financing, and the misuse of modern technologies.

Crime-terror nexus: They also analyzed how transnational organized crime networks interconnect with terrorism, as well as the dangers posed by foreign terrorist fighters and their cross-border movements.

Recent incident condemnation: Both sides strongly condemned the April 22, 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir that targeted civilians, calling for stronger international coordination against such acts.

Cooperation and Next Steps

India and Uzbekistan reviewed mechanisms to enhance joint efforts, including:

Intelligence-sharing

Capacity-building programs

Exchange of best practices in counterterrorism operations

They also reaffirmed their active engagement in multilateral bodies such as the United Nations, the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS), and the Eurasian Group (EAG) on combating money laundering and terror financing.

The next meeting of the Joint Working Group is slated to take place in India, with the exact date to be agreed through diplomatic channels.