By Pramod Raj Sedhain.
Security and terrorism in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member states have continuously grabbed world headlines dragging greater concern in the international community. After the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan, the region might face new terrorism challenges and strategies. Dozens of transnational terrorist organizations active in region as well as the most notorious global terror group Al-Qaeda recently announced a new branch in the Indian subcontinent. Group’s chief Ayman Al-Zawahiri announced the creation of “Qaeda al-Jihad” thus alarming the entire region.
Al-Qaeda is weakening day by day. It recently faced the biggest global terror leadership legitimacy crisis since its splinter with the Islamic State rise in the Middle East. Al-Qaeda’s concern to expand the branch is more psychological than physical. However, the threat remains since they might take to indiscriminately waging violence to show their existence. All terrorist groups’ major tactics is assassination, bombing, extortion and other kinds of violence to achieve their objectives. Global terrorist groups have changed their strategy. Their growing links with local militia group is an emerging threat. Therefore, generalization of terrorism is a major risk and challenge in the sensitive SAARC region.
Arrangement of regional security integration is a common practice to protect the interest of the member-states. But the eight countries regional bloc (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Maldives) do not have collective “multifaceted counterterrorism strategy”.
Under the regional security integration phenomena in different regions, the major terrorist’s hot-spot regional countries have no security cooperation and collective action against common threat. The region has been facing significant increase in terror campaigns since the last one decade. No country is safe. Therefore, all eight SAARC member states need to appropriately make preparations against possible terrorist threat. The region’s countries need strategic review their previous policy and priority in this context. Battling terrorism should be the priority than other cooperation.
Counter-terrorism needs extensive, collective, meaningful and functional mechanism. But the SAARC Secretariat has been functioning as a mere administrative body with no significant and necessary mechanism formed. Fight against Terrorism in South Asia should be the common interest of all countries. Without a common policy, the region cannot tackle terrorism.
The recently concluded meeting of Home ministers of SAARC countries in Kathmandu simply discussed on terrorism threat but did not finalize any effective mechanism or particular timeframe and agenda to create such mechanism. Regional anti-terrorism initiative was initiated way back in late 1980s but is still yet to be finalized when it comes to collective mechanism: Either regional security calculation, counter terrorism plan and strategy, nature and role to fight against terrorism.
How SAARC can battle terrorism?
Merely commitment or initiatives of a single country cannot root-out terrorism or extremism from the region. Action-oriented collective control mechanism, mutual legal system, strategy, intelligence sharing, immigration system and control can only deal with the growing possibilities of terrorism threat. This fundamental anti-terrorism effort has been a matter of concern and discussed but has not been implemented or practiced. SAARC still faces lack of modern structure and clear legitimacy. Common counter-terrorism has been limited to fundamental paper concept.
Establishing an operational collective counter-terrorism institution is a foremost step to start to combat terrorism. SAARC needs to have greater cooperation and collaboration on issues related to security. Without effective mechanism, collective monitoring, tracking and operational system, collective counter-terrorism efforts cannot function properly. SAARC intra-border institution can have different wings, including cyber crime desk, narcotic drug control desk, transnational crimes monitoring desk, human trafficking desk, counterfeit currency smuggling monitoring desk, organized crime desk, weapons smuggling monitoring desk, money laundering monitoring desk and other necessary tracking and monitoring wings to control terrorism .
Formation of collective security process and mechanism is another significant step to combat terrorism. They need to come together at least on this point to counter common threat. Despite the geographical proximity, the neighboring territories have hostile places and same interest interpretation in various ways. Internal instability, violence, crime and extremism are the common threat in the region.
SAARC atmosphere cannot be compared with the European collective security situation. Some of the SAARC members are suffering from deep-rooted terrorist activities and regional terror situation is far from the regional boundary. Such huge challenge shows that the regional country itself will not be able to handle the common regional security structure and needs support from the neighboring country. Inter-ethnic and religious respect, border trust and dialogue, easy-to-understand regional law and order should be in place to neutralize the common threat.
Simply an order cannot achieve rapidly change in the region. The nations in the region must combat radical, racial and religious extremism and separatist ideology with collectively. Similarly, merely using of force cannot resolve the deep-rooted multilingual, multiethnic, multi-religious, and multicultural regional problems.
SAARC’s multi-sector functional mechanisms and practical regional cooperation at different levels and layers can play a vital role to reduce radicalization. Such different forum’s good effort can influence the minds of the regional countries. Institutional strength and good approach can reduce some frustration that will prove significant in reducing extremism.
One cannot expect greater collaboration without legitimacy, but virtually SAARC has no collective common anti-terror acts and agreements to combat such big threats. Regionalism cannot achieve without enhancing mutual political, legal and moral system. Fighting a war against terrorism is not only a matter of security but is also interlinked with holistic political and economic matters. Some inter-state confrontation will impact whole regional prosperity and peace.
Changing the mindset and character is important for the regions’ stability and control terrorism. But the attitude to create control anarchism and political instability in another country to gain their self benefit will have a direct impact on the region’s overall stability and security. Such situation will create growing opportunity for radical groups and extremist ideologies. Single country’s ambition to destabilize its neighbors would be foolish and can even create new security risk in region.
Any leader projecting global image through SAARC leadership can need change their traditional mentality and policy. Lack of understanding of the increasingly globalized situation and failing to accept the practical world superpowers might have direct engagement with nations rather than showing their views. Without mutual, practical and effective strategy, the region cannot fight against terrorism. Without proper common functional mechanism, counter-terrorism effort and collective regional security priority is only theoretical approach.
