Countries sponsoring terrorism must be held accountable: PM Modi at SCO

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday lashed out at countries “sponsoring, aiding and funding terrorism” and told top leaders at the SCO Summit that such states must be held accountable, in a veiled reference to Pakistan whose premier Imran Khan was among the audience.

Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)Summit here, the PM  Modi also called fora “global conference to combat the scourge of terrorism.”

   

 “During my visit toSri Lanka last Sunday, I visited the St Anthony’s church, where I witnessed theugly face of terrorism which claims the lives of innocents anywhere,” thePrime Minister said, referring to one of the sites of the devastating EasterSunday attacks that killed 258 people in Sri Lanka.

“To combat the menace of terrorism, countries will have tocome out of their narrow purview to unite against it,” Modi said in thepresence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping,Pakistan Prime Minister Khan and Iran President Hassan Rouhani among others.

“Countries sponsoring, aiding and funding terrorismmust be held accountable,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi also called on the SCO member states to”cooperate under the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) againstterrorism.”

“Literature and culture provide our societies apositive activity, specially they stop the spread of radicalisation among theyouths in our society,” Modi said.

A peaceful, united, safe and prosperous Afghanistan is vitalfor the stability and security in the SCO.

“Our goal is to support the people and the governmentof Afghanistan for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlledcomprehensive peace process. We are happy that a further roadmap has beenprepared at the SCO Afghanistan Contact Group,” he said.

It has been two years since India became a full member ofthe SCO. India has contributed positively in all the activities of the SCO, thePrime Minister said.

Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for thetwo-day SCO summit. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security blocwith India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017.

India in the past has blamed Pakistan for carrying outmilitant attacks in the country and asked it to stop supporting militantoutfits operating from its soil.

India has not been engaging with Pakistan since an attack onthe Air Force base at Pathankot in January of 2016 by a Pakistan-based militantgroup, maintaining that talks and violence cannot go together.

Early this year, tensions flared up between India andPakistan after a suicide bomber of JeM militant outfit killed 40 CentralReserve Police Force (CRPF)  personnel insouth Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force (IAF) carriedout a counter- operation and claimed that it hit the biggest JeM training camp in Balakot in Pakistan on February 26.The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerialcombat and captured an IAF pilot, who was later handed over to India.

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