BIMSTEC meeting: India never believes in attacking, establishing supremacy over any country, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Tuesday (October 13, 2026), held his first-ever Home Ministers/Home Secretary-level talks among the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries. Mr. Shah said, “India has never believed in attacking or establishing supremacy over any country.”

Addressing the BIMSTEC meeting, Mr. Shah said “India has always believed in sovereignty and peaceful resolutions to any dispute. We are committed to cooperate and face challenges emanating from International terrorism, organised crime and narco-trade.”

“These criminal networks run their networks beyond international borders and take advantage of regional lacunaes. This is why regional cooperation is a must. Their strategy is changing, they are using encrypted communication, social media, drones, crypto-currency and dark web to recruit and propagate illegal activities. This is why real-time intelligence and cooperation is required to check these crimes. None of the member countries should shelter such criminals. We should cooperate in extradition of such criminals,” he added.

On the problem of narcotics smuggling, Mr. Shah said, “There is nothing golden about narco-trade, so I like to refer Golden Triangle as death triangle. Narco-trade is an attack on our youth. This cannot stop with the efforts of one country. We will have to adopt whole of region approach. Diversion of Precursor chemicals for narcotics is another challenge.”

Touching upon on human trafficking, Mr. Shah said “Human trafficking and cyber slavery is a grave concern.” “Sharing of Actionable intelligence should be a priority among BIMSTEC countries,” he said.

“India has extradited several criminals from across the countries, we need cooperation in this aspect. A common protocol should be established for human trafficking and cyber slavery. In this direction, the proposed BIMSTEC national security database and information sharing centre is a welcome step,” Mr. Shah said highlighting counterterrorism and law enforcement as key areas of cooperation.

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional grouping comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

It aims to promote economic and technical cooperation among countries bordering the Bay of Bengal and in its neighbourhood.