SCO virtual summit
\nSays there can be no justification for the killing of innocent people regardless of the cause or pretext
\nISLAMABAD
\nPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, should be condemned in \u201cclear and unambiguous terms\u201d.
\nHe made the remarks while addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation\u2019s (SCO) virtual summit hosted by India. Russia and China were also among the other countries attending the meeting. \u201cSCO member states have a shared interest in ensuring peace and stability in the region, which is a precondition for economic development anywhere in the world. \u201cThe Hydra-headed monster of terrorism and extremism \u2014 whether committed by individuals, societies or states \u2014 must be fought by full vigor and conviction. Any temptation to use it as a cudgel for diplomatic point-scoring must be avoided under all circumstances,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cTerrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism, must be condemned in clear and unambiguous terms. There can be no justification for the killing of innocent people regardless of the cause or pretext.\u201d The premier went on to say that religious minorities should not be demonised in the \u201cpursuit of domestic political agendas\u201d. While PM Shehbaz did not refer to any specifics in his speech, his remarks come as activists say persecution and hate speech against religious minorities, especially Muslims, in India have accelerated since Narendra Modi came into power.
\nIn his speech, PM Shehbaz noted that while the sacrifices made by Pakistan in fighting the scourge of terrorism were without a parallel, the phenomenon continued to plague the region and was a \u201cserious obstacle\u201d to peace and stability.
\n\u201cSCO countries must take concerted and immediate actions, both in their national and collective capacity, [\u2026] to combat the three evils of terrorism, extremism and separatism,\u201d he said, adding that achieving lasting peace in the region was a common concern as well as the responsibility of all SCO leaders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SCO virtual summit Says there can be no justification for the killing of innocent people regardless of the cause or pretext ISLAMABAD Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, should be condemned in \u201cclear and unambiguous terms\u201d. He made the remarks while addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":341356,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-341323","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n