Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for de-linking terrorism from religion as he pitched for new global anti-terror strategies and stressed that no country should give sanctuary to terrorists, in a veiled reference to Pakistan.
Modi underlined the need for ensuring that Internet does not become a “recruiting ground” for terrorism, amid growing trend of the Islamic State group luring youth from across the globe.
The prime minister called for a new global resolve and new strategies to combat terrorism, without balancing it against political considerations. “We also have to work within our societies and with our youth,” he added.
He said terrorism was the “biggest threat to the world today. It knows no boundaries. It uses the name of religion to draw people to its cause but kills people of all faiths”. “We have to de-link religion from terror. The only distinction is between those who believe in humanity and who does not,” he said.
Referring to the recent attacks in Paris, Ankara, Mali and on the Russian plane, the prime minister said terrorism was not a “peripheral problem” for the Asian region but its shadow stretches across the world, both in recruitment and choice of targets.
Modi, who addressed the East Asian Summit and spoke to the Indian diaspora on the second day of his three-day visit to Malaysia, stressed the need for working “with our youth” to counter terrorism.
He said India draws strength from its diversity and that his government was working to create an environment where enterprise flourishes and everybody gets basic needs like roof, sanitation, water, healthcare and education.
In his 45-minute speech at the Malaysia International Exhibition and Convention Centre here, Modi said development in India was “gathering speed now” amid global slowdown and the country was growing at 7.5 per cent with faster growth expected in the coming years.
At the address to the Indian diaspora, which mostly constituted of Malay Indians, Modi began with the Tamil word “Vanakkam” (welcome) and followed it with a few sentences in Tamil, drawing loud applause.
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