BENAULIM: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged BRICS leaders Sunday to take a strong united stand against the “mothership of terrorism” in the South Asian region in a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan.
Modi said, “A country in India’s neighbourhood had links to terror modules, which the emerging nations club of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) should strongly condemn.”
“In our region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development,” Modi told leaders at the BRICS summit in the tourist state of Goa. “Tragically the mothership of terrorism is a country in India’s neighbourhood,” Modi said in an indirect reference to Pakistan.
“Terror modules around the world are linked to this mothership. This country shelters not just terrorists. It nurtures a mindset. A mindset that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains.”
“It is a mindset we strongly condemn. And against which we as BRICS need to stand and act together. BRICS must speak in one voice against this threat,” he said.
The hardliner Hindu nationalist leader has hell-bent on isolating Pakistan following a raid last month on an Indian army base in Indian-held Kashmir that killed 19 soldiers.
New Delhi blamed “Pakistan-based militants” for the attack, which triggered calls at home for an aggressive response. India said its troops later hit militants across the border in Pakistan, sparking fury from Islamabad, which denied that strikes had taken place.
In their joint statement, the BRICS leaders condemned recent attacks against some of its members “including that in India” but made no mention of Pakistan.
