In a sharp criticism of the UN, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said such a major global institution is failing to guage the dangers of terrorism and warned that the world body risks losing its relevance if it does not act urgently to address the “new age challenge”.
He also slammed those talking about ‘good terrorism’ and ‘bad terrorism’, saying they are “knowingly or unknowingly” lending a “force” to the menace which is a threat not only to any country or region but the entire humanity.
At the same time, Modi said terrorism needs to be delinked from religion and underlined that the menace cannot be eradicated only by using “bombs, guns and pistols” but by creating an environment wherein the youth are saved from being radicalised.
“last week, a terrible terror attack took place in Brussels. I extend condolences to those who lost their dear ones. It is after a long time that such a serious incident has happened on this soil,” he said addressing a gathering of Indian diaspora. He said while India has been suffering from terrorism over the last 40 years, the world has realised now how “deadly” and “cruel” terrorism is.
Modi noted that in the last year, 90 countries suffered terror attacks in which thousands of people lost their lives and took on the United Nations for still not defining terrorism.
“..If you ask about terrorism, the UN does not know what terrorism is and how to deal with it. Because it (UN) was born from the dreadfulness of wars and therefore they are unable to think beyond that.
“This (terrorism) is a challenge of the new age, a challenge to the humanity and in guaging it, the world’s such a major institution is not able to fulfill its duty,” the Prime Minister said. He pointed out that India has been pleading with the UN for years that terrorism should be defined — who is a terrorist, which is a terrorist country, who is helping terorists, who is supporting terrorists and which are the things that encourage terrorism. “Once it is put out in black and white, then people will starting getting scared of associating with it and will try to dissociate.
“I don’t know when the UN will do so and how it will do so but given the emerging situation, if solutions are not found to this (problem), then it does not take time for an institution to become irrelevant.
“If you have to move with the times, understand challenges and ensure a peaceful life in the 21st century, then the world leadership will have to take up the responsibility. The more the delay, the more the loss,” he warned.
Modi termed it as a “misfortune” of the world as well ashumanity the fact that UN is still unable to guage the deadliness of terrorism. “UN understands all about wars, what happens in wars, who should do what during wars, what crises take place during wars and what steps should be used to stop wars,” he said, adding that the world body is, however, not geared up to do the same about terrorism.
“The matter of concern is that despite the deadliness of terrorism, despite the loss of lives of thousands of people, the world is not fully realising the danger of this menace. And because of this, there seems to be disintegration of the forces of humanity,” the Prime Minister said, adding “the demand of time is that the world must understand the danger of terrorism.”
“India did not succumb to terrorism and there is no question of doing so,” the Prime Minister asserted. “When India was shouting that terrorism has become a danger for innocent people, the world powers used to tell us that it is not terrorism but ‘your law and order problem’. But when the earth beneath their feet starting moving, then the world realised what terrorism means,” Modi said.
“The world was jolted by 9/11. Till then the world was not ready to accept what big crisis India was going through,” he said. Modi said during his talks with several world leaders as also leaders of various religions, he had emphasised that terrorism should first be delinked from religion.
“No religion preaches terrorism,” he underlined.