Intel chiefs from 15 countries attend counter-terrorism meet

Intelligence chiefs from 15 countries are attending the 8th South Asian Counter Terrorism Conference in New Delhi, including Bangladesh’s National Security Intelligence (NSI) Director General Major General Abu Mohammad Sarwar Farid, as regional security agencies meet to discuss counter-terrorism and transnational crime.

Sarwar Farid travelled to New Delhi yesterday to attend the multilateral forum, which brings together intelligence officials from South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Gulf and neighbouring regions. A source told that Farid travelled to Delhi on an Air India flight. He is scheduled to return to Bangladesh on October 28.

The two-day conference, scheduled for October 26-27, aims to strengthen regional cooperation on counter-terrorism, drug trafficking and human trafficking, while providing a platform for engagement among participating countries. The source stressed that Farid’s visit was for a multilateral conference, rejecting attempts to portray it as a bilateral engagement between Bangladesh and India.

The annual conference brings together representatives from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, Brunei, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, among other participating countries.

The gathering provides a forum for intelligence officials to exchange views and strengthen cooperation on shared regional security challenges.