New Delhi, February 10
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today asserted that the jehadi terrorism had become the principle form of terrorism all over the world and warned the global community against the growing tendency of terrorist outfits to cover their campaign of killings with the cloak of jehad.
Mr Vajpayee also cautioned the international community against the “real possibility” of weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of terrorist organisation.
“Globalisation of terror has another dimension today. Increasingly, a common ideological inspiration-religious extremism — is exporting it around the world. Thus, jehadi terrorism has today become the principle form of terrorism all over the world,” Mr Vajpayee said while inaugurating the international Youth Conference on Global Terrorism organised by BJP Yuva Morcha here at the Vigyan Bhavan.
“This phenomenon is not because Islam justifies terrorism... No it does not justify,” Mr Vajpayee said, asserting that “No religion preaches hatred or sanctions killing of innocents.
In an obvious reference to Pakistan, Mr Vajpayee ridiculed the “double standards” used to condemn terrorism in one place and condone it elsewhere.
“Distinctions are sometimes drawn from different acts of terrorism. In some cases, we are told that it is not really terrorism but a freedom struggle. This is how our neighbour has been trying to justify its policy of cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. It is asserted that Osama bin Laden’s associates are freedom fighters when they act in one country and terrorists when they act elsewhere,” he said.
Stating that democracies are more vulnerable to terrorism, Mr Vajpayee asked youth organisations to carry out an awareness campaign to expose justification or condoning of terrorism anywhere and under whatever pretext.
“While the fight against international terrorism is principally the responsibility of governments, youth organisations can play a vital supportive role,” he said, adding that it was necessary to foil efforts by extremist and fundamentalist groups to carry on an ideological campaign.
“No organisation, irrespective of whether it claims to espouse the cause of the majority or the minority community, can be allowed to inflame passions, spread hatred and incite violence,” he said.
Asking the international community to be vigilant against the “real possibility” of chemical, biological and weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of terrorist organisation, Mr Vajpayee said, “We should never allow ourselves to be frightened by terrorism. We should have the conviction that the defeat of terrorism is certain.”
Speaking on the occasion, BJP President Venkaiah Naidu urged
