BRICS can play a key role in tackling terrorism: PM

At the BRICS National Security Advisors (NSA) conclave hosted by India in New Delhi (June 22–23, 2026), BRICS NSAs and heads of delegation met under India's ...

What Happened

At the BRICS National Security Advisors (NSA) conclave hosted by India in New Delhi (June 22–23, 2026), BRICS NSAs and heads of delegation met under India's 2026 chairmanship.
India's position: BRICS can play a key role in tackling terrorism, noting that India's chairmanship will "advance practical cooperation, support the priorities of the Global South and contribute to a safer, more secure and inclusive world."
Member nations extended support for enhanced BRICS cooperation specifically on: counter-terrorism capacity building, information sharing among law enforcement agencies, countering use of new technologies (including AI and social media) by terrorist networks, and cybersecurity.
Delegates also deliberated on non-traditional security challenges: energy security, food security, supply chain security, and climate-induced instability.
India's BRICS 2026 theme: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."

Static Topic Bridges

BRICS as a Security Cooperation Forum

While BRICS was initially conceived as an economic grouping, it has progressively expanded into security and political domains. The BRICS NSA-level conclave is an established format — distinct from the Leaders' Summit — where National Security Advisors or equivalent officials coordinate on shared security concerns. India's 2026 chairmanship has explicitly elevated counter-terrorism and non-traditional security threats to the top of the BRICS agenda.

BRICS has a Counter-Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) that meets regularly to share information on terrorist financing, cross-border movement of fighters, and radicalization.
BRICS counter-terrorism cooperation has been complicated by diverging member positions: India and Russia share similar concerns about cross-border terrorism; China has occasionally differed on listing specific groups at the UN.
India has consistently sought to list Pakistan-based terror groups (e.g., Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba) as designated entities at the UN 1267 Sanctions Committee, sometimes facing Chinese vetoes.
The 2026 BRICS NSA conclave's focus on technology misuse by terrorists — including drones, encrypted communications, and AI tools — reflects an emerging frontier in counter-terrorism.

Connection to this news: India's use of the BRICS chairmanship to push counter-terrorism cooperation advances a core national security priority, simultaneously elevating India's multilateral standing on the issue.

India's National Security Architecture and Counter-Terrorism

India's counter-terrorism institutional architecture was substantially reformed after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks (2008). The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was established in 2008 as a central counter-terrorism investigation agency. The Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) and the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) were set up to facilitate intelligence sharing. The National Security Council (NSC) — chaired by the National Security Advisor (NSA) — coordinates intelligence and security at the apex level.

National Security Council (NSC): established 1998; the NSA heads the Strategic Policy Group (SPG) under it.
National Investigation Agency Act, 2008: gives NIA jurisdiction to investigate specific offences (terror financing, human trafficking, cyber crimes) across state boundaries without state government approval.
NATGRID: links 21 sets of databases from various agencies (immigration, banking, telecom) to enable rapid intelligence fusion; operational since 2021.
India is a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which monitors counter-terrorism financing globally.

Connection to this news: India hosting the BRICS NSA conclave and championing counter-terrorism cooperation is an extension of its domestic security priority into multilateral diplomacy — seeking international validation and support for frameworks it has already institutionalised at home.

Non-Traditional Security Threats: Food, Energy, Cyber, and Climate Security

Non-traditional security (NTS) threats are threats that do not originate from military aggression by another state, but can destabilise states and societies. These include: cybersecurity, terrorism, climate change and its cascading effects, energy insecurity, food insecurity, and pandemics. The BRICS NSA conclave's 2026 agenda covering all these areas reflects the expanding conception of national security.

Food security: India chairs the BRICS food security cooperation initiative; climate shocks and supply chain disruptions have elevated food security as a strategic priority.
Energy security: several BRICS-11 members are major fossil fuel producers (Russia, UAE, Saudi Arabia — now partners); energy security discussions within BRICS have implications for global oil pricing and alternatives to the petrodollar.
Cybersecurity: BRICS has a Working Group on ICT Security; the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime (2001), which India has not yet ratified, remains a point of debate on international cyber norms.
Climate-induced instability: the nexus between climate change and conflict (particularly over water, arable land, and displacement) is increasingly recognised in security frameworks, including the UN Security Council debates.

Connection to this news: The BRICS 2026 NSA conclave's deliberations on non-traditional threats signal that BRICS is evolving from a primarily economic body into a comprehensive security and governance forum, with India shaping that agenda as chair.

Key Facts & Data

BRICS 2026 Chairmanship: India; theme — "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
BRICS NSA conclave hosted in New Delhi, June 22–23, 2026.
BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group (CTWG): operational across BRICS member states.
National Investigation Agency (NIA): established under NIA Act, 2008, post-26/11 Mumbai attacks.
National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID): operational since 2021; links 21 databases.
Financial Action Task Force (FATF): India is a member; monitors terror financing globally.
Budapest Convention on Cybercrime (2001): India has not ratified; engages in cyber norms discussions via alternate frameworks.
BRICS New Development Bank (NDB): $100 billion authorised capital; headquartered in Shanghai.
BRICS-11 members represent ~49.5% of world population and ~40% of global GDP (PPP).