NEW DELHI, India – New Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday (August 14th) said in his pre-Independence Day speech that the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) is an important tool in the region's war against terrorism, local media reported.

"Great success is possible by international co-operation, but all SAARC nations must co-operate to bring to justice those who believe in mayhem against innocents. There is no other way towards peace on the subcontinent," Mukherjee said.

Mukherjee also called on SAARC to work together to create rapid economic growth in order to find long-term solutions to such problems as migration and uneven development.

The president praised India's security forces for their counter-terrorism efforts.

"It is their vigilance which has prevented more havoc. If we sleep in peace, it is because they are awake and vigilant in the desolation of desert and mountain and forest and in the vast loneliness of the seas," he said, according to ANI.