New Delhi [India], July 26 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah has stressed the urgent need to establish a dedicated forum to combat the misuse of encrypted communication platforms by terrorist groups and emphasised the importance of coordinated efforts and concrete mechanisms to bring back fugitives involved in terrorism and smuggling from abroad.

Shah's direction came in the inaugural session of the two-day 8th National Security Strategies (NSS) Conference in New Delhi on Friday.

The conference was held in a hybrid format, combining physical and virtual modes, with approximately 800 officers from across the country participating and deliberating on various subjects related to national security.

The first day of the conference focused on the role of external actors who are inimical to the interests of the nation and their domestic linkages, including involvement in the narcotics trade; challenges posed by illegal use of encrypted communication apps and other latest technologies, use of technology for crowd management and security of uninhabited islands. The issues related to financing terrorism were also deliberated.

The Home Minister directed the undertaking of dedicated measures to bring back fugitives involved in terrorist and smuggling activities, with enhanced inter-agency coordination between central and state law enforcement agencies, as well as recalibrating the approach towards disrupting domestic nodes of the terror-criminal nexus.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated that it was asked to 'set up a forum with stakeholders across the spectrum to come up with solutions to counter the use of encrypted communication by terror networks.'

'Reviewing terror financing mechanisms, agencies were directed to unearth terror modules by analysing inputs pertaining to financial irregularities. MHA was also asked to ensure that only indigenous technology was used by Police organisations,' stated the MHA statement.

The second day of the conference, commencing today, will focus on civil aviation and port security, counter-terrorism, left-wing extremism, and countermeasures for Narcotics trafficking.

Among senior officers, the Union Home Secretary, Deputy NSA and Heads of Central Armed Police Forces and Central Police Organisations attended the conference. The Director Generals of Police of states and Union Territories (UTs), as well as young police officers at the cutting-edge level and domain experts from specialised fields, joined the conference from their respective state capitals via the virtual mode.

During the DGsP and IGsP conference in 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed the holding of the National Security Strategies Conference every year, with the objective of finding solutions to major national security challenges through the extensive experience of cutting-edge-level officers working at the grassroots level, in collaboration with domain experts. In compliance with the directions of the PM, the conference has been held in hybrid mode for wider participation since 2021. (ANI)