Nuclear terrorism global threat, should not serve national strategy: Foreign secretary S Jaishankar

Apart from claiming that nuclear security was a vital concern, India stressed on Wednesday that terrorism, especially nuclear terrorism is a severe international threat which should not serve national strategy and asked for a global response in this regard.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, who was speaking at the Implementation and Assessment Group Meeting of Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, also hoped that the horrors of atomic power destruction would never be repeated as the negative consequences of atomic power cannot be overlooked.

“Events that have unfolded around us, more so in the past couple of decades, have highlighted that terrorism remains the most pervasive and serious challenge to international security. If access to nuclear technology changes state behaviour, it is only to be expected that it would also impact on non-state calculations.

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“Nuclear security, therefore, will be a continuing concern, especially as terrorist groups and non-state actors strike deeper roots and explore different avenues to spread terror. Developing a comprehensive global response is the highest priority,” he said.

Maintaining that nuclear energy will continue to play an important role in tackling challenges of inclusive growth and climate change, he said, “On the other hand, the negative consequences of atomic power also cannot be ignored. The world has witnessed the immense destructive power of the atom.“We hope that such horrors will never be repeated and cannot overstate the importance of countries with nuclear weapons to be responsible.”

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Jaishankar also warned of the dangers of discriminating among terrorists -? good or bad or even yours and mine—are increasingly recognised. “Terrorism is an international threat that should not serve national strategy. Nuclear terrorism even more so,” he said.

During his address at the meeting, which is being attended by delegates from over 100 countries including the US, the UK, France and Pakistan, he also referred to the strong credentials of India, which is looking for a membership in Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), in promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy.