Terrorism as sensitive as nuclear proliferation: Modi

Recognizing that the world is bearing the scourge of growing extremism and terrorist attacks, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the international community to take the threat of terrorism as sensitively as that of nuclear proliferation. In an oblique reference to Pakistan, which recently released the mastermind of the gruesome Mumbai terror attacks of 2008, he said the world should collectively put pressure on countries which provide shelter to terrorists.

Addressing a joint conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, Mr Modi said that terrorism is spreading globally, and its character is changing. The need of the hour is “a comprehensive global strategy to deal with this global challenge”. He said that India and Germany can work together on this front.

His remarks came after a Pakistan court ordered release of Lashkar-e-Toiba operations commander, and the 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. India had strongly protested his release and said it “eroded” the value of Pakistan’s commitment to tackle terror.

Mr Modi also pitched for the conclusion of long-pending Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) at the UN this year, which has been created to strengthen cooperation to combat international terrorism. He further underlined that cooperation was needed to stop organized arms rackets, from which terrorist organizations sourced their weapons. He added that countries whose governments provide shelter to terrorists need to be internationally isolated to build pressure on them to stop such activities.

Mr Modi was on a two day visit to Germany as a part of his nine day three nation tour.

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