Must target terror support system, says Narendra Modi

Vientiane: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said there is “one country in our neighbourhood” which “produces and exports” terror.

Speaking at the East Asia Summit with US President Barack Obama and Chinese premier Li Keqiang in attendance, Mr Modi said, “This (terrorism) export is reducing space for peace and increasing space for violence and putting at risk peace and prosperity of all.”

“The time has come to isolate and sanction this instigator,” Mr Modi said. The Prime Minister’s fresh jibes directed at Pakistan came three days after he launched a sharp attack on Pakistan, saying that “one single nation” in South Asia is spreading the “agents of terror”. He had told the G20 leaders in Hangzhou on Monday that those who sponsor the menace must be sanctioned and isolated, not rewarded.

In his address at the EAS, Mr Modi said, “We need to target not only the terrorists but also their entire supporting ecosystem. And our strongest action should be reserved for those state actors who employ terrorism as an instrument of state policy.”

Mr Modi warned that terrorism is the most serious challenge to open and pluralistic societies and underlined that combating the menace requires collective effort. He said India and most countries in South Asia were pursuing a peaceful path to economic prosperity, but singled out “one” neighbouring country. “Competing geo-politics, traditional and non-traditional challenges threaten peace, stability and prosperity of region,” he said at the summit.