Colombo, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday described terrorism as the biggest threat to the stability of South Asian countries.

Addressing the 15th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit here, Manmohan Singh said the world cannot afford to lose the battle against terror.

“Terrorism continues to rear its ugly head in our midst,” he said in his speech. “It remains the single biggest threat to our stability... We cannot afford to lose the battle against the ideology of hatred… and against all those who seek to destroy our social and societal (values).”

“Terrorists know no borders,” the prime minister said, adding that the July 7 suicide bombing at the Indian embassy in Kabul and the later serial bombings in Bangalore and Ahmedabad cities were “gruesome reminders of the barbarity” terrorism was capable of unleashing.

At least 50 people were killed in the Kabul attack, for which India blamed the Pakistani intelligence. The serial bombings in Bangalore and Ahmedabad killed another 50 people.

He said countries needed to act with determination to “fight this curse. We must defend the values of pluralism, peaceful co-existence and the rule of law”.

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