Aligarh, Mar 10 (UNI) External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today called for 'zero tolerance' against global terrorism and stressed the need for India to play a 'pro-active' role in addressing the challenges posed by communalists and fundamentalists.
Delivering the annual convocation address at the Aligarh Muslim University, the External Affairs Minister cautioned against the 'exclusivist' elements who tend to re-define history and nationhood to enhance the status of one group at the expense of the other.
''...To my mind the only way forward is for the international community to avoid the trap of semantics and declare a policy of zero tolerance to terrorism, anywhere and everywhere,'' he said.
In the address largely focussing on India's secular tradition and a derision of communalism, Mr Mukherjee said recent history had clearly demonstrated that nationhood needed stronger and more enduring values than mere religious identity and that despite consistent challenges, Indian people had adhered to democracy and secularism.
He, however, cautioned against existence of individuals, groups and movements with alternate visions of history and future in every democratic political order, which challenge the established order, and called upon the people to reject and replace such forces.
''India has not been immune to this challenge. There are those within out body politic who reject the version of popular history which exalts our composite culture and, instead, define our history and our nationhood in exclusivist terms that enhances the status of one particular group at the expense of others,'' he added.
Outlining the major goals of India's Foreign Policy as economic development of the region and creation of a ''new paradigm for our neighbourhood,'' the Minister said that as the largest country in South Asia with land and sea borders with all its neighbours in SAARC, India had to assume greater responsibility for the region's challenges.
''Our foreign policy has to pay particular attention to each and every one of our bilateral relationships in the neighbourhood, from Myanmar to Afghanistan, and create a mutually beneficial framework.'' He re-asserted that India's neighbours could share the drive for prosperity and modernisation of the infrastructure in the Indian sub-continent would promote freer flows of goods and services.
In more ways than simply economic, the future of the Indian sub-continent depended on whether this open mindedness prevailed over the more traditional mindsets. On its part, India had indicated its willingness to cooperate with all its neighbours and to work with them for a better future.
He said India's foreign policy was playing a greater role in economic renaissance and the primary task of the Indian foreign policy had to be the facilitation of India's developmental processes.
''Towards this end, we need to leverage our international partnerships. Our focus in the coming decade should be on promoting trade and investment flows, in assisting the modernisation of our infrastructure, in assuring predictable and affordable energy supplies and in securing the widest possible access to technologies,'' Mr Mukherjee added.
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Delivering the annual convocation address at the Aligarh Muslim University, the External Affairs Minister cautioned against the 'exclusivist' elements who tend to re-define history and nationhood to enhance the status of one group at the expense of the other.
''...To my mind the only way forward is for the international community to avoid the trap of semantics and declare a policy of zero tolerance to terrorism, anywhere and everywhere,'' he said.
In the address largely focussing on India's secular tradition and a derision of communalism, Mr Mukherjee said recent history had clearly demonstrated that nationhood needed stronger and more enduring values than mere religious identity and that despite consistent challenges, Indian people had adhered to democracy and secularism.
He, however, cautioned against existence of individuals, groups and movements with alternate visions of history and future in every democratic political order, which challenge the established order, and called upon the people to reject and replace such forces.
''India has not been immune to this challenge. There are those within out body politic who reject the version of popular history which exalts our composite culture and, instead, define our history and our nationhood in exclusivist terms that enhances the status of one particular group at the expense of others,'' he added.
Outlining the major goals of India's Foreign Policy as economic development of the region and creation of a ''new paradigm for our neighbourhood,'' the Minister said that as the largest country in South Asia with land and sea borders with all its neighbours in SAARC, India had to assume greater responsibility for the region's challenges.
''Our foreign policy has to pay particular attention to each and every one of our bilateral relationships in the neighbourhood, from Myanmar to Afghanistan, and create a mutually beneficial framework.'' He re-asserted that India's neighbours could share the drive for prosperity and modernisation of the infrastructure in the Indian sub-continent would promote freer flows of goods and services.
In more ways than simply economic, the future of the Indian sub-continent depended on whether this open mindedness prevailed over the more traditional mindsets. On its part, India had indicated its willingness to cooperate with all its neighbours and to work with them for a better future.
He said India's foreign policy was playing a greater role in economic renaissance and the primary task of the Indian foreign policy had to be the facilitation of India's developmental processes.
''Towards this end, we need to leverage our international partnerships. Our focus in the coming decade should be on promoting trade and investment flows, in assisting the modernisation of our infrastructure, in assuring predictable and affordable energy supplies and in securing the widest possible access to technologies,'' Mr Mukherjee added.
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