State-sponsored terrorism biggest challenge: Deve Gowda

Bengaluru/Kathmandu: Terrorism is the biggest stumbling block to world peace, stability and progress and the magnitude of threat multiply when it is state-sponsored, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said on Saturday.

Addressing the Asia-Pacific Summit-2018 here, he said that India has been a victim of state-sponsored terrorism for a long time and emphasised that terrorism or terror groups should not be glorified.

The four-day summit, on the theme “Addressing Critical Challenges of Our Time: Independence, Mutual Prosperity and Universal Values”, has been organised by the South Korea-based Universal Peace Federation and supported by the Government of Nepal.

The former prime minister said that terrorism is the biggest stumbling block in the world peace, stability and progress and the magnitude of threat multiplies when terrorism is state-sponsored.

“Terrorism has emerged as a biggest challenge in today’s world, which does not makes any distinction between the borders, gender or religions,” he said at the conference being attended by leaders from the Asia-Pacific region, including India, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Pakistan and the Philippines.

“In the recent times, the world has become aware about the terrorism and steps have been taken in the recent times to break the network of terror-funding, but an international law on terrorism is to be made,” Gowda said.

“There is need for an international to check spread of terrorism. A proposal to make a law against terrorism is yet to be passed in the United Nations, as the member states have failed to reach a consensus on the definition of terrorism,” he added.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, addressing the summit, said he agrees with what former Indian prime minister has said that “there is no good or bad terrorism.” 

He claimed that Pakistan is also affected by terrorism for a very long time, as many people came to his country during the Afghan war as a refugee and were still living in the country.

He said during his regime, action was taken against terrorism, as many innocent people were killed in terror attacks and also Pakistan’s economy was affected.

Highlighting the importance of ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said this corridor not exclusive which will increase connectivity in the region.

The USD 60 billion CPEC is part of China’s multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013. It aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes.

India is opposed to the BRI as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Gilani also alleged that misinformation was being spread about the CPEC in the region when it is being promoted as part of the projects like development of ports, establishment of special economic zones and setting up of other basic infrastructure needed for development.

Meanwhile, addressing the summit, Myanmar’s special counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, called for cooperation between nations to seek peace and mutual prosperity.

In her keynote address, she said, the world today is facing the dangers of terrorism, poverty, natural calamity, and conflict.

“Only by promoting a culture of peace in this world of interdependence will it be possible to create harmony between diverse countries and societies,” she said.

“At the basis of conflict is ill-will which seeks to hurt and to destroy and thus to open the way to conflict, which in turn spews out an ever-renewing cycle of hate and fear, snuffing out the light of peace,” Suu Kyi, who is facing international criticism for her alleged inaction amidst the Rohingya refugee crisis in Myanmar, said.