Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a full-scale war against terrorism, not just against terrorists, and urged nations to "pursue terrorists, break their support networks, and hit their finances." He also argued for levying sanctions against terrorist-supporting nations and isolating organisations that work to incite anti-terrorist sentiment.
“The world needs to unite against all kinds of overt and covert backing of terror,” Modi said at the third ‘No Money for Terror’ (NMFT) ministerial conference on terror financing. In a veiled attack on China and Pakistan, he said indirect arguments are sometimes made in support of terrorism to block action against terrorists.
“Certain countries support terrorism as part of their foreign policy. They offer political, ideological and financial support to them. International organisations must not think that the absence of war means peace. Proxy wars are also dangerous and violent. There must be costs imposed upon countries that support terrorism,” he said in an oblique reference to Pakistan for its support to terrorism in Kashmir. Pakistan and Afghanistan are not participating in the conference while China was invited but did not come, officials 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. There is no place for an ambiguous approach while dealing with a global threat. It is an attack on humanity, freedom and civilisation. It knows no boundaries. Only a uniform, unified and zero-tolerance approach can defeat terrorism," he said.
India has frequently requested that a number of LeT and JeM leaders who are located in Pakistan be included on the UNSC's 1267 Committee List over the past 20 years, but China has consistently opposed the requests.
