Seminar on terrorism, peace and security in South Asia held

By TRN Online, Kathmandu, July 10: The Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE) organized a high level seminar on Terrorism in South Asia: Challenges to Regional Peace and Security.

The seminar held on Wednesday brought together senior political leaders, former ministers, security experts, academicians, and scholars, and was attended by over 150 participants, including members of the diplomatic community, civil society, policymakers, security personnel, journalists, and academics, according to a press release issued by the NIICE.

NIICE stated in its press release that Sunil Bahadur Thapa, Advisor to the President of Nepal and former Minister of Industry, shared that Groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which are UN-designated terrorist organizations, have historical ties to Al-Qaida and operate in Pakistan, posing risks to India and potentially using Nepal as a transit point.

Dr. Minendra Rijal, Former Defence Minister of Nepal, stressed that a terrorist attack on India will have spillover effects on Nepal. He noted that Pakistan's promotion of terrorism has not only made SAARC inactive but also hindered regional economic integration and caused significant economic loss for Pakistan. He called for global unity—similar to the solidarity seen after the September 11 attacks in the United States—to combat terrorism effectively, NIICE said in the press release.

Chanda Chaudhary, Member of Parliament and former Minister for Women, Children, and Senior Citizens, highlighted the importance of curbing money laundering as a means to prevent cross-border terrorism.

Shisir Khanal, former Minister, appreciated India’s immediate and forceful response, including military action through ‘Operation Sindoor’ and diplomatic expulsions of Pakistan has established a new threshold in regional counter-terrorism, according to the NIICE press release.

Dr. Dinesh Bhattarai, former Diplomat and Advisor to Former Prime of Nepal shared Pahalgam attack was the deadliest attack in recent years, because the victims were brutally killed after asked them to disclose their religion and shot in their head.

NP Saud, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Irrigation, stated that Nepal and regional powers should develop a clear mechanism to control terrorism, warning that terrorism affects everyone indiscriminately Dr. Purna Silwal, former Major General of the Nepal Army, emphasized that countries must avoid double standards in counter-terrorism efforts if terrorism is to be eradicated.

Ambassador Madhu Raman Acharya, former Foreign Secretary of Nepal stressed on the need for intelligence sharing and joint border patrolling between India and Nepal. He added that in the fight against terrorism we are with India.

Sumitra Karki, Director of NIICE, referred to the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 from Kathmandu by Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and the April terror attack in Pahalgam by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba that killed 26 civilians, including one Nepali national, to highlight Nepal’s vulnerability to terrorism.

Dr. Pramod Jaiswal, Research Director at NIICE, stated that Pakistan has been the epicenter of terrorism in South Asia, with a history of nurturing and harboring terrorists. He also cited a recent admission by Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who publicly acknowledged that Pakistan had supported, funded, and trained terrorists for nearly three decades for the US, UK, and Western interests, read the press release.