Indian President Pranab Mukherjee's address on the eve of the 67th Republic Day focused on terrorism and was based on the recent Pathankot attack, as he said terrorism is war beyond any doctrine, and is a “cancer which must be operated out with a firm scalpel.” He said that ideally dialogue should be a continual engagement for resolving disputes among nations but peace cannot be discussed under a “shower of bullets”.
“There is no good or bad terrorism; it is pure evil,” the President said. “If outlaws are among nations; and, as is well known, the closer we are to a neighbour, the higher the propensity for disputes. There is a civilised way to bridge disagreements; dialogues, ideally, should be a continual engagement. But we cannot discuss peace under a shower of bullets.” Mukherjee said that nations will not agree on everything, but the challenge today is existential as terrorists seek to undermine order by rejecting the very basis of strategic stability which are recognised borders. “We must attempt to resolve the complex edges of the emotional and geo-political inheritance with neighbours through a peaceful dialogue, and invest in mutual prosperity by recognising that human beings are best defined by a humane spirit, and not their worst instincts. Our example can be its own message to a world in anxious need of amity,” he said.
“There is unprecedented turbulence across vast regions, with alarming increase in regional instabilities. The scourge of terrorism has reshaped war into its most barbaric manifestation. No corner can now consider itself safe from this savage monster.”
