SAARC home ministers to meet on security concerns

KOLKATA: Describing terrorism as the 'biggest stumbling block' in the path of development in South Asia, India on Saturday pitched for a joint fight against the scourge and noted that SAARC Home Ministers will meet to devise ways to tackle it.
   
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the time had come for SAARC member countries to have a policy of 'zero tolerance' towards terrorism to eliminate the menace.

In a speech here on the theme 'SAARC: Accelerating cooperation through connectivity', he stressed on the need for enhanced cooperation and connectivity among the SAARC nations to help realise the potential of the region.
   
There will be a meeting of Home Ministers which would address regional security concerns, such as transnational crimes, terrorism, narcotics and psychotropic substances, Mukherjee said.

The Home Ministers will look at measures on how national legislation and procedures may be harmonised for the benefit of victims of crime and human trafficking and explore ways to rehabilitate them, he said.

"Terrorism, which is going to be the biggest menace and a stumbling block on the road of development, should be treated fairly and squarely," Mukherjee said.

"Perhaps the time has come when the international community, communities in the region as a whole will have to accept a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism," he said.