Time to jointly address the threat of terrorism: PM Modi to ASEAN leaders

MANILA: Addressing the ASEAN-India Summit on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the time had come to unite and think about mitigating terrorism.

"We have individually strived very hard to fight terrorism and violent extremism. It is time that we jointly address this challenge by intensifying cooperation in this crucial area," he said.

Opening Statement by Prime Minister @narendramodi at 15th ASEAN-India Summit can be accessed at https://t.co/qnS2wmwbDh pic.twitter.com/jbSQO5dJlT — Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) November 14, 2017

This is only the most recent push that PM Modi has made in an attempt to coalesce a globally-coordinated response to terrorism. At various international forums, he has raised this topic time and again.

While taking obvious shots at neighbour and terrorism state-sponsor Pakistan, he has however shied away from naming it in his speeches.

Some of the forums in which Modi has spoken of the need for global action against terrorism have also included China, Pakistan’s all-weather friend.

After years of maintaining a studied silence to PM Modi’s statements on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, China to recently jumped on the bandwagon.

It was a party to the joint statement issued after the recent BRICS Summit, which named terrorist organisations that are openly backed by the Pakistani military establishment.