Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the G20 platform to take up India’s case of terrorism supported by Pakistan, saying those who support and sponsor terrorism should be isolated and called for delinking terror from religion and coordinated action against radicalization.
Modi also urged G20 leaders to urgently adopt the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism and called for restructuring the international legal framework to deal with the unique challenges of terrorism.
“The world must speak in one voice and act in unison against terrorism, without any political considerations. There should be no distinction between terrorist groups or discrimination between states,” the PM said in his speech at the dinner session of G20 leaders late on Sunday to discuss terrorism and the Syrian refugee crisis.
Economic issues took a backseat on the opening day of the G20 summit in this golf resort Turkish town as world leaders sought a tough stance against terrorism against the backdrop of the deadly Paris attacks.
“Terrorism is a principal global challenge. From regions in conflict to the streets of distant cities, terrorism extracts a deadly price. Old structures of terrorism remain. There are countries that still use it as an instrument of state policy,” Modi said.
The PM referred to the changing character of terrorism: global links, franchise relations, home-grown terrorism and use of cyber space for recruitment and propaganda.
“There is a new level of threat to pluralist and open societies. The territory of recruitment and the target of attacks is the same — society,” he said.
