Terrorism narrative at BRICS: India warns of high costs for Pakistan
Amid the growing perception about the lack of consensus at the BRICS summit on New Delhi’s concerns over the Pakistan-origin terrorism, India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has renewed the focus on state-sponsored terrorism and underlined that terrorism “featured strongly in the summit’s narrative and its eventual outcome.” The minister also argued for taking steps to make it costly for those who sponsor and support terrorism.
“While our economic engagement and political cooperation remained key factors, there was a sharp realization that global development and prosperity was very much dependent on continued peace and security. Terrorism was universally recognized as a key threat to stability, progress and development,” Ms Swaraj said at the BRICS Media Forum held in New Delhi on October 18. The forum brought together leading journalists and opinion-makers from India, Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.
Alluding to the quality of discussions at the October 15-16 BRICS summit in Goa, Ms Swaraj underlined that “there is a developing consensus that it cannot be business as usual.” “We must be prepared to extract costs for those who sponsor and support terrorists, who provide them sanctuary, and who, despite their own claimed victimhood, continue to make the false distinction between good and bad terrorists,” said the minister.
In a damning critique of Pakistan’s pursuit of cross-border terror and obstructionist attitude, the minister said: “There cannot be a greater contrast with those who reject even trade and connectivity for political reasons.” Reaching to such forums that exclude terror sponsoring countries is necessary to shape mechanisms to fight terrorism, she stressed.