By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi traded jibes on cross-border militancy and rights of minorities on Tuesday as they met virtually at a regional summit.
Sharif said terrorism in all forms, including state terrorism, must be condemned and there was no justification for killing innocent people.
He also took a veiled dig at Modi, saying religious minorities should not be demonised for domestic political agendas, as activists say persecution and hate speech against Muslims have risen in India since Modi came to power.
“The hydra-headed monster of terrorism and extremism, whether committed by individuals, societies, or states, must be fought with full vigour and conviction,” Sharif said at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.
“Any temptation to use terrorism as cudgel for diplomatic point-scoring must be avoided under all circumstances.”
Sharif didn’t name India, but his remarks came after Modi said earlier that some nations were sheltering militants and urged the SCO to act against them.
“Terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism, must be condemned in clear and unambiguous terms and there can be no justification for the killing of innocent people, regardless of the cause or pretext.” Sharif said in his speech.
The two nuclear-armed neighbours have long been at odds over the disputed region of Kashmir, which both claim in full but rule in part, and have accused each other of backing militants on their respective sides.
Sharif also urged the international community to engage with the interim Taliban government in Afghanistan and provide critical support to prevent a humanitarian crisis and an economic meltdown.
He said stability in Afghanistan was critical for regional peace and security, and called on the Taliban to ensure their soil was not used for terrorism by any entity.
“A peaceful and stable Afghanistan will not only bring economic dividends to the Afghan people but will also unlock the true economic potential of the SCO region as well as contribute to global peace, security and progress,” he said.
The SCO is a Eurasian political and security bloc that includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan and four Central Asian nations. The group has been trying to play a bigger role in Afghanistan since the U.S. exit, but faces challenges from competing interests and divergent views among its members.
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