In his address at the virtual SCO summit, Sharif said, “We need to fight terrorism spreading over the region and over the world. Terrorism in all forms, including state terrorism must be eradicated. Pakistan gives full support to fighting terrorism.”
The Pakistan Prime Minister said that religious minorities should not be stigmatised and dehumanised to attain political goals.
Sharif’s comments on terrorism came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier urged SCO nations not to hesitate from criticising nations which promote cross border terrorism, in an indirect reference to Pakistan.
Modi also said that there cannot be double standards on the issue of terrorism.
Meanwhile, Sharif said in his address that the SCO summit is taking place at a very difficult period in history.
“We are meeting at a very difficult period in history. A lot of things are happening…the SCO helps to keep things stable. Connectivity is the main thing for the global economy and it is an opportunity…how important it is to invest in our common vision,” he said.
Sharif said that Pakistan plans to host the SCO conference on transport connectivity at the end of this year.
Seeking cooperation on Afghanistan, the Pakistan prime minister said: “The SCO countries should act together to use their potential to curb terrorism. Peace and stability in Afghanistan are becoming vital as ever before. To avoid the bad consequences, we have to help Afghanistan to overcome the humanitarian crisis. In this regard, we need to involve the entire global community.”
–IANS
ans/dan
