Modi calls Pakistan the mother ship of terrorism

BENAULIM (GOA): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday succeeded in getting BRICS members to make its strongest ever statement on terrorism but consensus eluded

BENAULIM (GOA): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday succeeded in getting BRICS members to make its strongest ever statement on terrorism but consensus eluded leaders of the five-nation grouping on India’s push to nail Pakistan-based terror groups.

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Sunday’s huddle of the five emerging economies in scenic Goa began with the Indian Prime Minister launching a scathing attack on Pakistan, without naming the neighbour, and calling it the “mother ship of terrorism … linked to terror modules across the world”. Modi urged Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa to “speak in one voice against terrorism” and assign top priority to combating terror, including cross-border violence -- a euphemism used in reference to Pakistan.

“This country shelters not just terrorists. It nurtures a mindset. A mindset that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justifiable for political gains,” Modi said.

Later, addressing the plenary session of the BRICS summit, Modi said “selective approaches to terrorist individuals and organisations will not only be futile but also counter-productive”.

His comments came amid efforts to persuade China and Russia to join New Delhi’s campaign to diplomatically isolate Pakistan, which India blames for cross-border terror and fuelling unrest in Kashmir.

On Saturday, while Russian President Vladimir Putin strongly condemned terrorism in all forms, prompting Modi to say Moscow’s stand on the issue “mirrors our own”, Indian officials speaking about the prime minister’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping used rather defensive language, signalling little progress in those talks.

Beijing gave no assurance on supporting New Delhi’s bid on a United Nations ban against Pakistan-based militant leader Masood Azhar, saying no more than that terrorism was a “key issue” and the two sides should strengthen their security dialogue and partnership.

Modi’s aggressive pitch found reflection in the Goa Declaration by BRICS leaders, which mentioned terrorism at least 24 times and was worded in a way that Indian officials found “satisfying.”

“We recall the responsibility of all states to prevent terrorist actions from their territories,” said the declaration, in what Amar Sinha, India’s chief negotiator at the BRICS, described as a new and significant addition.

“If you look at what the joint statement says, I think, it is pretty clear we are talking about our neighbourhood,” Sinha said. “We were focused on the ideas we wanted included.”

However, critics pointed out, the declaration fell short of India’s ambitions. While it named the Islamic State, Jabat al-Nusra, which is fighting in Syria and recently rebranded itself as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, and other UN designated groups, it didn’t call for action against Pakistan-based terror groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, which India holds responsible for the Uri attack that left 19 Indian soldiers dead.

Even as the summit was overshadowed by talks on terrorism, officials said, it also made significant progress in reviving economic cooperation between the member countries. Modi said the group agreed to double intra-BRICS trade to $500 billion and step up the work of the National Development Bank.

Chinese President Xi Jinping underscored the need to fight protectionist policies and promised Beijing would continue to bolster trade and investment flow with other BRICS nations. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed new initiatives for cooperation in energy.