Abstract
From time immemorial, global waters play an influential role as global lifeline for international trade and commerce as well as maintaining status quo relations between states. Recent technological development and connectivity open up new horizons for international trade through the transport and transshipment of energy, goods and products around the world where security concerns remain a major hindrance to take full fledge leverage from this avenue. Cross-border criminal activities like piracy and global terrorism poses the primary threat for maritime domain. Therefore, this paper intended to illustrate the very concept of terrorism and draw a line between terrorism and piracy, and to examine the role of international legal instruments including its shortcomings and challenges