In an obvious reference to Pakistan, President Pranab Mukherjee today asked the world to proscribe nations that support or sponsor terrorism as an instrument of state policy.
Asserting there is no good or bad terrorism, Mukherjee termed it as a "cancer which must be operated out with a firm scalpel" and world, in one voice, reject all its manifestations, without distinction.
"It is imperative that the world in one voice rejects all manifestations of terrorism, without distinction, and proscribes States that support or sponsor terrorism as an instrument of State policy," he said after inaugurating the second edition of counter-terrorism conference organised by the India Foundation in collaboration with government of Rajasthan.
Also Read
Senior BJP leader Ram Madhav is member, Board of Directors of the India Foundation.
Terming the 9/11 terror attack in the US as a watershed moment, the President said the country needs to carefully examine and learn lessons from the success and failures of counter terrorism strategies followed since then.
"From that single incident have flowed most of the interventions in the counter terrorism sphere that we see happening at the international level as also at the regional and domestic levels.
"Faced with the spectre of terrorism, the Western world has undertaken a lot in terms of strategy and tactics and has achieved results also. We need to carefully examine and learn lessons from the success and failure of these strategies," he said.
The US had carried out an operation to kill dreaded terrorist Osama bin Laden, said to be behind the 2001 attack, in Pakistan, nearly ten years after the incident.
Mukherjee said the predominant focus has to be on the political management of terrorism.
"This includes addressing issues of ideology and dealing with countries that sponsor or support terrorism.
Mukherjee said as a nation we have to strengthen
plurality so that it acts as bulwark against radical ideologies and thought processes.
"Fragmentation of civil society, rather than its consolidation, is not a wise strategy. The former course leads to radicalisation, which thereafter leads to competitive violence. Think tanks and civil society organisations have a larger role to play in this process of social integration."
Mukherjee said a pluralistic and inclusive society like India has long presented a model for multi-cultural living and it is for this reason that global terror outfits have not been able to find traction in India.
The President said till the end of the 20th century, terrorism had regional or national connotations.
"With the emergence of first Al-Qaeda and now IS, those boundaries have shattered. Non-state actors are trying to be the State themselves, spreading radical ideologies across societies, using technologies to the fullest extent to attract youth.
"In such a scenario mere political and military strategies will not suffice. We need to take social, economic, religious and psychological aspects into consideration," Mukherjee said.
The President said counter terrorism effort has to be more pointed, more focused, more objective and more professional.
"While doing so there will always be a dilemma of whether we are threatening individual liberties or human rights. We have, therefore, to be judicious in protecting larger freedoms and democratic values," he said, suggesting concerted action to shut down the financial networks that support and sustain terrorism.
Citing Paris and Pathankot terror attack cases, Mukherjee said terrorism is undoubtedly the single gravest threat that humanity is facing today.
"Terrorism is a global threat which poses an unprecedented challenge to all nations. No cause can justify terrorist acts. It is imperative that the world acts in unison against terrorism, without political considerations. Therefore, there is a need to take a resolve to not justify terrorist means whatever be the reason or the source," he said.
Peace is the primary objective of rational consciousness as well as a moral universe. It is the foundation of civilisation and a necessity for economic progress, the President said.
(Reopens DEL86)
Mukherjee said there is unprecedented turbulence across vast regions, with alarming increase in regional instabilities.
The scourge of terrorism has reshaped war into its most barbaric manifestation. No corner can now consider itself safe from this savage monster, he said.
"Terrorism is inspired by insane objectives, motivated by bottomless depths of hatred, instigated by puppeteers who have invested heavily in havoc through the mass murder of innocents. This is war beyond any doctrine, a cancer which must be operated out with a firm scalpel. There is no good or bad terrorism; it is pure evil," the President said.
Mukherjee said South Asia has been facing terrorist violence since decades in various forms.
There is a peculiar nature to this terrorism. To counter that, South Asian countries, including India, have developed certain capabilities, he said.
"We need to similarly discuss and deliberate on the effectiveness of these strategies and how these have impacted on our counter terrorism capabilities.
"An important aspect of counter-terrorism strategy is capacity building to prevent attacks through intelligence collection and collation, development of technological capabilities, raising of Special Forces and enactment of special laws. Though we have evolved certain mechanisms in this direction, there is scope for further intensifying these efforts," the President said.
Chief Executive of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah, Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and NSA Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and other dignitaries attended the programme.
