Let us not pretend that lone wolf initiatives come simply from misguided individuals

New Delhi, Oct 31: Foreign Secretary, Harsh Shrigla underscored India's position that terrorism and the radicalisation that gives rise to it are together the most chilling form of censorship.

He emphasises that terrorism with the backing of states and organised institutions threatened cherished democratic freedoms and shared republican ideas.

On the attacks in France by radical Islamists, Shringla said that it is not possible to pretend that such actions came from simply lone wolf initiatives and misguided individuals.

"There is an infrastructure of radicalism, including its online manifestations, that comes into play. It has the backing of states and organised institutions. You know who they are.

We cannot and should not ignore them," the foreign secretary also said.

From terrorism to global warming, from maritime security to sustainable development, from norms-based international institutions to technology and innovation, we are inevitably on the same side of the court," he said while commenting on New Delhi's relationship with France.

Three people have died in a knife attack at a church in Nice on Thursday which was described by French President Emmanuel Macron as an "Islamist terrorist attack".

Shringla said India and France face similar non-traditional security threats in the form of radicalism and terrorism, and the fight today is not against specific communities or individuals but against a "radical politico-religious ideology."

Referring to cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, the foreign secretary said India has continued to ward off the menace from its western border.

"Despite the pandemic, we have dealt with the worst crisis in decades on our border with China and we have done so with firmness and maturity. At the same time, we have continued to ward off terrorism from across our western border," he said.