"The world's attention is focused on the region because it is being perceived as the nerve centre of terrorism. Too many innocent lives are lost to terrorism every day. We are all victims of this menace. We need to ensure that double standards in dealing with terrorism are eschewed," HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju said.
Observing that those propagating terror are often the worst victims of it, he said, "We need sincere and effective cooperation to root out this scourge".
In this regard, Raju, who was the former MoS in the Defence Ministry, said initiatives taken by the SAARC forum provide excellent frameworks for cooperation to deal with this issue.
Speaking at the Sixth South Asian Conference organised by Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis, he said countries in the region must work towards reinforcing the processes of change by building more capable institutions, improving governance, tackling corruption and reaching out to the vulnerable sections of the society.
"We must also take into account the desire of our people to connect with each other, physically, culturally and through sharing of ideas," he said. MORE
