India to work with global community to ensure no safe havens

Chennai, Jan 8 (PTI) Talking tough, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh Thursday said forces of extremism and terrorism
will not be allowed to destablise the economy and polity of
India and promised to work with global community to ensure
that there are no safe havens or launching pads for
terrorists.

Observing that the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai
were a grim reminder of the grave threat posed by extremism
and terrorism, he said "there are some who would not like to
see India succeed.

"But we have shown, over and over again, that we will
not allow the forces of terrorism and extremism to destabilize
our polity, our economy and our society," Singh said
inaugurating the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas here.

The Prime Minister's observation comes close on heels of
his stern warning to Pakistan against using terrorism as an
instrument of state policy.

"We have taken several measures to strengthen national
security, to promote national cohesion and we will continue to
work with the international community to ensure that there are
no safe havens and launching pads for terrorists," Singh told
the galaxy of people of Indian origin gathered here for the
annual event.

The Prime Minister's remarks assume significance against
the backdrop of his statement that Pakistan-based
Lashkar-e-Taiba was behind the Mumbai terror attacks and given
their sophistication and military precision, they must have
had the support of some official agencies of that country.

Singh also deprecated the forces which seek to divide
the people on the basis of religion.

"Those who pursue the politics of exclusion, of
monotheism, who divide people between 'us' and 'them', betray
the very idea of India," he said "we have been consensual
civilization".

Singh also voiced New Delhi's concern over the rise in
tensions in West Asia in the wake of attack in Gaza by Israeli
security forces resulting in the loss of lives of many
innocent men, women and children.

India, he said, has strongly condemned these incidents
and hoped that the international community would get together
and help restore "peace in the region as soon as possible".

"I wish to reiterate our unstinted and unwavering support
for the just Palestinian cause", Singh said.

Addressing over 1,500 delegates from across the world,
the Prime Minister assured the PIOs that despite the global
economic downturn, the fundamentals of Indian economy
continued to remain strong and "we expect to achieve a growth
rate of about seven per cent this year, which will be among
the highest in the world".

He said much of India's growth was internally driven and
he expected that a strong pace of growth could be maintained
in the coming years.

India was actively involved in the meetings of the G-20
countries which were deliberating on the creation of a new
global financial structure, Singh said.

"We need to ensure that any new architecture that emerges
is suited to the new challenges and vulnerabilities facing the
world economy and simultaneously it must be reflective of the
changes that have taken place in the economic structure over
the years," he said.

Singh emphasised that countries like India have a right
to be given their due place in the evolving scheme of things.

The overseas Indian community, particularly in the US,
came in for special praise by the Prime Minister who said they
played a key role in mobilising Congressional support for
lifting restrictions to end India's nuclear isolation of last
34 years.

"But much more importantly, this is a sign of the growing
role that Indian origin communities are now playing in public
policies and opinion making across the world," he said.
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