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`India must take the lead in fighting terror'

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JUNE 19. India is in the forefront of international efforts towards peace and elimination of terror and as the largest democracy in the world, it could legitimately claim a lead in the process, Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, said here today.

Speaking after inaugurating an ``International Round Table on Constructing Peace, Deconstructing Terror,'' organised by the Strategic Foresight Group of the International Centre for Peace Initiatives, Mr. Chavan called for a macro-level recording of ideas on challenging terrorism which were relevant to the local conditions and universally acceptable.

``India's initiatives at the U.N. on building an integrated and comprehensive approach on terrorism has made considerable headway.

The inclusive polity, participative institutions, pluralistic diversity and a vibrant political system have placed the country in a unique position to facilitate a dialogue for a new international consensus on terrorism.''

The country had been a victim of terrorism for decades and lost two Prime Ministers to terrorists.

``While the world attention focussed on this menace after September 11, India had had the bitter experience of terrorism before that and had paid a heavy price,'' he said.

Terrorism might have regional roots, but armed with latest technology it now has global reach with democracies being its prime targets because of their open and transparent political systems.

``Freedoms enshrined in the Constitution were exploited to foment social and economic discord.''

Drawing attention to affirmative action and a strong ethics for distributive justice, Mr. Chavan said the Indian polity had shown its resilience, whether in Jammu and Kashmir or Punjab or North-East.

``Bonding people separated by discord and healing wound inflicted by terror is not possible without the practice of democracy.''

The two-day conference is being attended by strategic thinkers from Western and Asian countries.

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