New Delhi: In the custody of Russian state security, a 30-year-old Uzbek national identified as Mashrabkon Azamov, may be key to unraveling the shadowy network and local modules the Islamic State (IS) terror group may have set up in India. The arrest also underlines the existence of such modules.
So significant are the implications that Azamov’s arrest was a reason for Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh thanking Russian defence minister Sergey Shoigu during a meeting on Wednesday morning. An Indian defence ministry release on Wednesday said: “Rajnath Singh conveyed his deep appreciation and thanks for arresting in Moscow a terrorist who was planning attacks in India.” The Indian defence minister is in Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers meet.
On Wednesday, Singh said in his address: “Terrorism is one of the most serious challenges to global peace and security. India reiterates its resolve to fight all forms of terrorism and make the region peaceful, secure and stable. We seek to develop joint institutional capabilities with the SCO member states, which, while respecting the sensitivities of each country, create the spirit of cooperation among individuals, societies and nations.”
Even as a team of Indian sleuths is reportedly already in Moscow to find out more details of the interrogation of the nabbed terrorist who has confessed to being doctrinated and trained in Turkey, the main aim would be to trace out his Indian connections as one or more ‘contacts’ in India had been lined up to support Azamov with equipment, logistics and planning the suicide attack.
Nor has the target of the planned assassination been disclosed by the security agencies yet except the fact that the target was a leading member of the ruling dispensation. ETV Bharat had reported on Tuesday on how Russia may be preparing ground for a huge gesture by handing over Azamov to India especially in view of the fact that the man has not committed any crime on Indian soil.
Such a move will hugely underline Russian commitment to Indian interests that will amount to taking potshots at the US and the UK where many men ‘wanted’ in India roam free despite criminal and terror antecedents. The Russian move will be amply supported by the existence of an existing wide-ranging extradition treaty between India and Russia since 1998.
Significantly, Clause 4.1 of the India-Russia extradition treaty says: “It shall be an offence under the laws of both the Contracting Parties for any person to abet, conspire or attempt to commit, or incite or participate as an accomplice in the commission of, any extradition offence.”
On Wednesday, besides Shoigu, Singh also met the Kyrgyzstan defence minister. On Tuesday, he had bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Belarus. In 2023, India will take over the presidency of SCO from Uzbekistan.
The upcoming SCO summit, expected to be held in the middle of September in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand is expected to be an important one with the anticipated inclusion of Iran to the SCO while Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are expected to receive partner status. Belarus’ application to join the SCO as a full-fledged member will also be taken up.
