JOIN USPranab calls for tough action against IS
As Islamic State (IS) wreaks more havoc, President Pranab Mukherjee has said segmented and partial approaches of some countries have been unsuccessful in tackling terrorism and called for a strengthened and enforceable international legal regime to fight the menace.
Expressing concern over the spill over effects of instability in the West Asia resulting in increased terrorist activities across the world, including in South Asia, he said terrorism is the biggest threat confronting the world and countries like India and Jordan must cooperate in the fight against terrorism.
Without taking the names of any country, he came out strongly against countries, which differentiate between good and bad terrorists.
“We believe terrorism should be dealt in a comprehensive manner. Segmented and partial approaches as adopted by some of the countries have been unsuccessful in countering terrorism. Dealing with global terror requires coordinated international cooperation as well as a strengthened and enforceable international legal regime,” Mukherjee told Jordan Times ahead of his three-day visit starting Saturday.
The President said the global community should agree to a legal framework for diminishing and eventually defeating the scourge of terrorism.
“We have also sought to challenge and repudiate the terrorist narrative that global counter-terrorism efforts are directed against any particular religion or ethnic group. We are convinced that terrorism can be rolled back only through comprehensive, coordinated international cooperation combined with a strengthened, enforceable international legal regime,” he said.
In a separate interview to Arabian daily Al Ghad, he said, “hate speech and fear mongering should come to an end…We should not permit religion to be used as a mask to satisfy hunger for power and control of some individuals.” He told the Jordan Times that the global expansion of terrorism, including in Syria and Iraq and globalisation of the supply chain of terrorism, is a matter of great concern. “India has faced terrorism for almost four decades, largely sponsored from across our border,” he said.
Mukherjee said India and Jordan share similar views and perceptions on regional and international issues, including Syria and the West Asia peace process.
“We strongly reject religious fundamentalism and extremism as well as terrorism in all forms and manifestations. Given the commonality of security concerns of both the countries, India looks forward to further strengthening cooperation in the area of security and counter terrorism,” he said.
He said India has adopted a comprehensive approach to deal with the challenge of terrorism. India initiated a number of measures to prevent the “spread of extremist ideology, plug financing routes, build domestically a counter narrative to radicalization, strengthen laws to prosecute terrorists and forge a network of international partnerships” for threat assessment and operational cooperation, he said.
Asked how he evaluates Jordan’s role in the war against extremism and against Islamic State, Mukherjee told Al Ghad that he agrees with Jordan’s King Abdullah that the world is confronted with a third world war to which one must respond with equal intensity.