India seeks ‘concrete action’ against terror at NAM summit

Vice President Hamid Ansari, who is leading the Indian delegation at the 17th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, said, “Terrorism is one of the most egregious sources of human right violations today and its use as an instrument of state policy is to be unequivocally condemned.” “The time has come for our movement to recognise the need for concrete action in the fight against terrorism,” Ansari said while addressing the plenary meeting of the bloc in the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

“We need to establish a mechanism within our movement that will ensure 

effective cooperation in combating terrorism, that is the main threat to security, sovereignty and development,” he said. 

Ansari’s remarks came against the backdrop of India raising its concerns at various international fora over Pakistan’s support to cross-border terrorism. Modi had made clear references to Pakistan’s support to terrorism without naming it at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, at a BRICS meeting in Hangzhou and at the ASEAN and East Asia summits in Lao PDR. Describing terrorism as the ‘biggest threat’ to international peace and to the sovereignty of states, Ansari asserted that no cause justifies the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians. “It is therefore imperative for the NonAligned Movement to galvanise the international community to strengthen the international legal framework to address this menace,” he said.