India calls on world community to unite against terrorism

India on Wednesday appealed to the global community to come together for a united front against terrorism calling it a common enemy which has been affecting both economies and societies.

Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy presented the government's view at the inauguration of the 20th international seminar on 'Comprehending the Evolving Contours of Terrorism and IED Threat: Way Ahead for the Security Community' organised by the National Security Guard (NSG) at Manesar.

"The global community needs to come together and put a united front against terrorism as it is a common enemy and nations across the world are facing the menace, suffering both economic and social losses," Reddy said.

The minister said that India has displayed the resolve and commitment to the policy of "zero tolerance towards terrorism" and this assertive policy has indeed led to results with drop in Left-wing extremism and dismantling of several terror modules across the country under leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Reddy suggested the global community that "we need to equip ourselves for the next generation warfare" with the latest technology and advanced weaponry as the terror modules are also evolving to survive through collaborations and adapting to changing dynamics.

"We need to focus on 'asymmetrical threats' posed by such non-state actors."

Reddy further said that importance of improving Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detection and prevention has gained significance for the security forces these days and that "we need a strategy to develop capabilities to prevent such attacks."

He emphasised on the need to adopt a two-fold strategy - firstly, combating terrorism must be a proactive and pre-emptive strategy and not a post-facto response and secondly, reaching a global agreement to isolate terrorism and to choke all its lifelines.

Appreciating the Start-up India partnership by NSG to produce counter-IED equipment and technologies, the minister said that once put on production line it will benefit the entire nation. Reddy hoped that it will bridge the gap in equipment profile and improve counter-IED and counter terrorism strategies for future.

NSG Director General Anup Kumar Singh while addressing the seminar said that terrorist activities in India and other parts of the world are aided and abetted not only by extremist outfits but they are also fuelled by trans-national organisations.

In the seminar the international community will share their ideas and formulate a road map to deal with the menace of terrorism, he added.

The two-day seminar will cover a wide spectrum of counter terrorism issues in panel discussions. Delegates from various countries and senior police and security officers from various states and other stakeholders are participating in the conference.
-IANS