Amit Shah's Internal Security vision a 'defining driver' of our International Engagement: ORF President Samir Saran

In an interview with ANI, Saran strongly commended Shah's address on the nation's security at the ORF and underlined that it was "desperately needed."

"He was very clear. We will give development. We are number one. We want to focus on development make everyone's lives better. Second, infrastructure and investments. Number three, let us go and do deals. You know, let us negotiate. Let us create agreements with everyone who has problems with us. And only fourth was the muscular zero tolerance approach to picking up the gun or terror and stuff like that. I think he laid out a vision on the internal security issues which in many ways is very important for our external relations. You know, people who are engaging with us should have a very clear-eyed view of what India's internal security architecture is. And that it is not in silos" Saran told ANI.

The ORF President said that the vision presented by the Union Home Minister was important for those who engage with India, to understand what India stands for.

"It was important that internal security dialogue or internal security vision was presented so that those who engage with India understand what we stand for. I think his speech was important. Internal security is a defining driver of our international engagement. External engagement is basically a mirror of what the internal security situation is" Saran said.

Saran highlighted that what happens internally in India cannot be ignored by the world.

"India's internal security is not internal security. We are a continental security. Our security implicates the world. You know, it is like European security. European security is like, you know, EU is 28, 27 countries. So, India is a little bigger. So, you know, between countries, what happens in Europe is a global issue" he said.

In February first week, Amit Shah addressed the launch event of the Observer Research Foundation's (ORF) Foreign Policy Survey in the national capital. He emphasised how India wants to maintain a friendship with the whole world, but not compromise the security of the country and its citizens.

Shah, in his address, highlighted that the Centre has improved law and order in three hotspots of Jammu and Kashmir, leftist extremist areas and the North-East.

He further said that if a country's borders are not secure, the country cannot remain safe because the security of the border is national security.

Amit Shah took office as Minister of Home Affairs on June 1, 2019. Among the highlights of his tenure are the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the introduction of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, which grants Indian citizenship to religiously persecuted minority communities who migrated to the country before 2015 from the Muslim-majority countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

He recently also introduced three new bills that were passed by the parliament and will replace the Indian Penal Code. (ANI)