SAARC should jointly fight terror: Pranab

MUMBAI: Asserting that terrorism had no place in civilised society, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday asked South Asian countries to unitedly fight the menace to create an atmosphere conducive to business.

"Business and trade flourish in an environment of security. Therefore, it is imperative to fight unitedly the scourge of terrorism and extremism that haunts our region," he told a SAARC Business Leaders' Conclave hosted by FICCI.

Terrorism, by whatever name, has no place in civilized societies, he emphasised.

"We must join hands to put our collective house in order, as peace and security in the region will benefit us all," he said.

Mukherjee said in an inter-connected region, the consequences of both poverty and insecurity are indivisible and business leaders understand this.

"We have a collective stake in ensuring peace and security here because no investors will come to this region if there is no assurance of peace and security," he said.