Building a global consensus against state sponsors of terrorism remains central to India's diplomacy. Evaluate its effectiveness.

India's counter-terror diplomacy is aimed at the states that support, train or fund terrorist groups, and not only at the groups themselves. Its latest gain came on 28 October 2026. At the 13th ADMM-Plus in Cebu, India and the US agreed on zero tolerance towards state support for terrorism [1]. Overall, India has done well at building the norm but only partly at enforcing it.

Where it has worked

• Support from major powers: the US reaffirmed its support against cross-border terrorism [1]. This now sits inside the 10-year Defence Framework, signed at the 12th ADMM-Plus in Kuala Lumpur in 2025, so it comes up for review every year [2].
• Regional platforms: ADMM-Plus has a standing Counter-Terrorism Experts' Working Group, co-chaired by one ASEAN state and one Plus country [3]. This carries India's agenda into the Indo-Pacific.
• Setting the agenda on terror financing: India hosted the 3rd 'No Money for Terror' conference (2022). Delegations from over 70 countries and multilateral bodies took part, and the PM called for imposing costs on states that back terrorism [5].
• Wide normative support: NAM (2016), BRICS (2016) and SCO (2017) called for early adoption of India's proposed CCIT (Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism). The P5 have also backed it [4].

Where it falls short

• No legal consensus yet: India proposed the CCIT in 1996. It is still stuck because some members want to qualify the definition of terrorism [4].
• Statements, not deterrence: "zero tolerance" is a statement of principle with no enforcement mechanism behind it [1].
• Partners' priorities can change: in February 2026 the US announced a cut in tariffs on Indian goods to 18%, which shows the trade friction running alongside the defence ties [6]. Support on terrorism can also become transactional.
• Deals with partners are not global consensus: the gains are mostly with like-minded partners. Each year India has to get the same support against cross-border terrorism stated again [1].

Overall, India has put state sponsorship of terrorism on the bilateral, regional and multilateral agenda, but it has not yet turned this into binding obligations. Three steps would help: test the pledges through joint terrorist listings and ADMM-Plus Counter-Terrorism group activity [3], set up a permanent No Money for Terror secretariat [5], and work with like-minded states to unblock the CCIT [4]. Together these can move the consensus from words to accountability, in line with the UN Charter's commitment to peace and SDG 16.