Pakistan needs to do more, says British High Commissioner

RAJU DAS
SHILLONG, March 4 – Certain terrorist outfits were projecting socio-economic deprivations to get support from communities for committing senseless violence across the world, British High Commissioner to India, Richard Stagg today observed.

The High Commissioner said, socio-economic backwardness is one of the factors that led to terrorism, although this factor is often exaggerated by certain terrorist outfits to get public sympathy.

Stagg asserted: “the underlying problem leading to terrorism to an extent may be socio-economic inequalities or injustices. But the countries cannot be soft on terrorists.”

Citing an example, Stagg said, the Irish Republican Army (IRA), which is listed as a terrorist outfit by Britain, rode on public sympathy by exaggerating the community’s socio-economic deprivation to carry out “terror attacks”.

Although Stagg did not refer directly about the banned North East outfits, however, his observations about IRA and similar claims made by North East outfits could not be missed to carry out their violent activities.

Terming terrorism the “biggest threat”, he added, Britain’s top priority was to root out terror effectively from the world through “international cooperation.”

On Pakistan, Stagg said, Islamabad “needs to do more” to control terrorism. He, however appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to fight terror and also offered Britain’s help to train Pakistani troops to deal with the problem.

The attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, he said has caused “great anxiety” in the global community and stated the “perpetrators of the attack must be booked.”

“Terrorism whether it is in Pakistan or Bangladesh, needs to be tackled by the affected country with the support of international support”, Stagg said.

On Bangladesh Rifles’ mutiny, the British official said: “it is an internal problem of the country and the issue should be solved expeditiously.” Assam Tribune