Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, who formally took over as the chairman of the 15th summit from Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, set the tone by making terrorism the dominant theme in his inaugural address.

Leaders of Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, all affected by terrorism like Sri Lanka, said this posed a threat to stability and progress in the region.

They also condemned the recent attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, the serial blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad and the killing of civilians in Colombo and elsewhere in Sri Lanka. Rajapakse said  most countries of the region faced the “curse of terrorism that threatens peace and stability.” 

Inter-dependence was crucial for durable peace and protection of democratic values. “We must ensure strengthening legal mechanisms and intensifying intelligence sharing”.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: “Terrorism continues to rear its ugly head in our region. It remains the single biggest threat to our stability and progress. We cannot afford to lose the battle against the ideologies of hatred and fanaticism and against all those who seek to destroy our society”.

Pointing out that terrorists and extremists know no borders, he said the recent attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul and the serial blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad are gruesome reminders of the barbarity that still finds a place here in South Asia.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed his shock and outrage over the attack on the Indian mission in Kabul and said such acts of mindless brutality and terror posed a threat to the entire SAARC region. In this connection, he cited the assassination of Pakistan People’s Party leader Benazir Bhutto.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said his country too was affected by terrorism as evidenced by the assassination of Benazir  Bhutto.