Identify terror havens, says Sushma

Beijing, April 24

In a veiled attack on Pakistan, India on Tuesday asserted that arguments of “political convenience” to provide an alibi for terrorist organisations are no longer tolerable and the international community should identify states that provide “sanctuary” to terror groups.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, addressing separate meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) here in the Chinese capital, underlined India’s strong opposition to cross-border terrorism and the urgent need to build a strong security architecture to combat the threat posed by it.

In her address at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting, also attended by Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Swaraj raised the issue of global terrorism.

“There are a number of challenges that are being faced by the world today, foremost being the threat of global terrorism and the imminent need to build strong security architecture to combat it… Terrorism is an enemy of the basic human rights: of life, peace and prosperity,” Swaraj said. She said the criminal terrorist militias were not impeded by borders as they sought to destroy the architecture of international stability and build walls of fear in societies that believed in pluralism. — PTI