Eliminating terrorism

Only a couple of months ago we published a report that South Asian countries are among the top 10 when it comes to incidents of terrorism. The events in Mumbai prove yet again that South Asia is afflicted by this scourge to a great extent. With the exception of Bhutan, all the other South Asian countries have been affected by terrorism.

Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan witness frequent terrorist attacks including suicide attacks. In fact, suicide terrorism was perfected by Sri Lanka's LTTE and their methods have been successfully replicated elsewhere in South Asia and the Gulf. It has long been known that terrorists learn from each other and this is one such instance.

It also goes without saying that terrorism is a global phenomenon. They take advantage of porous maritime or land borders. The finest example for the former is again, the LTTE which has been using Tamil Nadu as a smuggling base for decades. India and Sri Lanka are just about 30 Kilometres apart at some points and Tigers have been using this route to smuggle supplies and weapons from Tamil Nadu and engage in lucrative human trafficking as well. Some of the land borders in South Asia are just as easy to cross, so transnational terrorism has come to stay.

Another saddening factor is that South Asian and other terrorists are exploiting the youth to meet their military and political goals. The Mumbai attackers looked very young from the photos released so far. These youth have been brainwashed into becoming killing machines and blowing themselves up for some elusive goal that is almost impossible to achieve. The Tigers are masters at this game, forcibly recruiting children as young as eight to eventually become suicide bombers. Education and parental love are denied to them as their mentors paint a picture of a brutal 'enemy'.

Religious fundamentalism seems to be another scourge sweeping South Asia. The Mumbai attackers called themselves Deccan Mujahedeen, a name that betrayed a background of Islamic fundamentalism. No religion has advocated violence as a means of solving disputes, but some elements are distorting religious teachings for perpetrating acts of terror.

Terrorism is perhaps the single biggest challenged faced by South Asia, one of the most populous regions of the world. It is also ethnically diverse, which leads to constant tensions among such communities. Some grievances of these diverse ethnic groups are legitimate, while some are not. However, many terrorists have exploited such sentiments to launch armed campaigns, as in the case of the LTTE in Sri Lanka.

Therein lies a challenge for South Asia: Dealing with terrorism while addressing any legitimate grievances of minority communities. In Sri Lanka, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has set a precedent by categorically stating that he would eliminate LTTE terrorism but the political problems would be solved politically. He has cited a formula of Four Ds - Demilitarisation, Democratisation, Development, and Devolution - which should be implemented in that order.

This scenario would not apply to every terrorist group and every country, but it is a model well worth considering and pursuing. It is already working successfully in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka, where a former child soldier has become the Chief Minister. A somewhat similar process took place in Nepal, where the former leader of the insurgents now leads the Government.

The eight South Asian countries, which met in Colombo in August at the 15th SAARC Summit resolved to act strongly against terrorism, collectively and individually. But the SAARC Conventions against Terrorism must not be limited to paper. All eight countries should act on these proposals to make South Asia a terror free zone.

This is easier said that done but as the saying goes, if there's a will, there's a way. Closer cooperation including intelligence sharing on terrorist movements across borders and seas, should be a first step. Stopping their propaganda, fund raising and money laundering activities is another vital step.

All countries should wholeheartedly support the others' efforts to stamp out terrorism from their soil. South Asia should also forge close links with countries in other regions engaged in counter terrorism as terror groups have truly global links and ambitions. The War on Terror must be taken to its conclusion.