Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (18 November) said that there should be no ambiguity in dealing with terrorism and also warned against nations that use terrorism as a tool of foreign policy.

He was addressing the third 'No Money for Terror' (NMFT) Ministerial Conference on Counter-Terrorism Financing in New Delhi today.

Welcoming the gathering, the Prime Minister marked the significance of the conference taking place in India and recalled when the nation saw the dark face of terror long before the world took serious note of it.

“Over the decades,” PM Modi said, “terrorism, in different names and forms, tried to hurt India.”

He added that even though thousands of precious lives were lost, India fought terrorism bravely.

The Prime Minister highlighted that it is an opportunity for all the delegates to interact with India and its people who have been firm in tackling terror.

“We consider that even a single attack is one too many. Even a single life lost is one too many. So, we will not rest till terrorism is uprooted”, he said, according to a PMO release.

He said that the long-term impact of terrorism is particularly hard on the poor and on the local economy.

“Be it tourism or trade,  nobody likes an area that is constantly under threat”, Modi remarked.

He further added that the livelihoods of people are snatched away as a result of terrorism. He pointed out that it is all the more important that we strike at the root of terror financing. 

The Prime Minister warned against any ambiguity in tackling terrorism.

He touched upon the mistaken notions of terrorism and said “the intensity of the reaction to different attacks cannot vary based on where it happens. All terrorist attacks deserve equal outrage and action. Further, sometimes,  there are indirect arguments made in support of terrorism to block action against terrorists".

He underlined that there is no place for an ambiguous approach while dealing with a global threat.

“There is no good terrorism and bad terrorism. It is an attack on humanity, freedom and civilisation. It knows no boundaries”, the Prime Minister emphasised.

“Only a uniform, unified  and zero-tolerance approach  can defeat terrorism," he said.

The Prime Minister underlined that attack is the best form of defence and uprooting terrorism needs a larger, proactive, and systemic response.

He emphasised that we must pursue terrorists, break their support networks and hit their finances for our citizens to be safe. 

The Prime Minister highlighted state support as one of the major sources of political, ideological and financial support to terrorism. Certain countries support terrorists as part of their foreign policy, he said.

He also asked International organisations to be vigilant about proxy wars.

“There must be a cost imposed upon countries that support terrorism. Organisations and individuals that try to create sympathy for terrorists must also be isolated. There can be no ifs and buts entertained in such matters. The world needs to unite against all kinds of overt and covert backing of terror”, he added.

The Prime Minister stressed the need to jointly address the problem of radicalisation and extremism.

“Anyone who supports radicalisation should have no place in any country”, he added.