Terrorism against humanity; conflicts do not benefit anyone, says PM Modi

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that terrorism anywhere in the world and in any form is against humanity and asserted that it is time for peace and brotherhood and to move forward while walking together.

While inaugurating the ninth G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) at YashoBhoomi, the PM said that conflicts and confrontations in any part of the world impact everyone and do not benefit anyone, as he called for the world to move forward with a human-centric approach.

“We have to remove obstacles in the way of global trust. This is the time for peace and brotherhood, and time to move forward together,” Modi said.

The remarks of PM Modi came against the backdrop of a series of brazen attacks on Israeli towns by Hamas militants over the weekend which triggered fresh tensions in the region.

Referring to the attack on Parliament House some 20 years ago, the PM said that India has been facing cross-border terrorism which has claimed thousands of innocent lives.

He further noted that the world was now realising how big a challenge terrorism is as terrorism anywhere, in whatever manifestation, is against humanity.

The prime minister also said that consensus not being achieved on the definition of terrorism was saddening and the enemies of humanity are taking advantage of this situation.

“Parliaments across the world would have to think how we should work together to combat terrorism. The G20 presidency ensured festivities in India throughout the year and India landing on the moon added to the celebrations,” he said, adding that India has invited all P20 delegates to visit again next year to witness the polls as 100 crore voters will cast their vote next year in general elections.

On the occasion, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that the ninth G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) represents a commitment towards preserving democratic values, international cooperation and finding solutions to the issues of global importance and current challenges.

Birla further mentioned that environmental protection is not a matter of a single country and congratulated all the delegates for supporting the government’s Mission LiFE initiative.

The theme of the P20 summit is One Earth, One Family and One Future. During the pre-summit discussion on Thursday, delegations from several countries have asserted that protecting the environment is not a matter of a single country and it’s the responsibility of all the countries.

On the occasion, Inter-Parliamentary Union president Duarte Pacheco said that peace has to be maintained in all continents including the Middle East and efforts should be made in this direction.

However, Canada was missing from the P20 summit and Parliamentary Forum programme list. As per the schedule, Canadian Senate Speaker Raymonde Gange was supposed to be a part of the summit.