India calls for united efforts against terrorism

Countries in the world should join hands together to script an effective strategy against terrorism, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said Monday.

"If we want to defeat terrorism, there is only one way -- that we unite across our differences, add steel to our resolve and inject urgency in our response," Swaraj said in an address before the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly.

"If any nation refuses to join this global strategy, then we must isolate it," she said.

The Indian minister added that terrorism has gone way beyond affecting individuals or nations, calling it "a crime against humanity itself."

In her address, Swaraj also blasted countries that sponsor terrorism and urged the international community to "identify these nations and hold them to account."

"In our midst, there are nations that still speak the language of terrorism, that nurture it, peddle it, and export it," Swaraj said. "To shelter terrorists has become their calling card." Enditem