Saarc failure overshadows anti-terrorism taskforce

The idea of regional anti-terrorism taskforce for South Asia is unlikely to shine as the past initiatives taken by Saarc to counter terrorism did not succeed, thanks to the India-Pakistan rift.

Experts observed that South Asia needed joint efforts to fight terrorism, but they were skeptic about the success of a venture for a joint taskforce as the long simmering dispute between India and Pakistan worsened further over Mumbai tragedy in November.

Prof Imtiaz Ahmed, who teaches international relations at Dhaka University, suggested a national taskforce be formed first that would prepare a design of the South Asian taskforce which would be tabled at the next Saarc summit.

“A national taskforce can be formed comprising lawmakers, politicians, intellectuals and civil society members,” he said.

Security expert Shahedul Anam Khan said a regional taskforce might help fulfill the Saarc agreements on tackling terrorism but it was difficult to say how effective the proposed taskforce would be in the strategic orientation and geopolitical compulsion of the region.

It is quite evident that India and Pakistan cannot go together despite having inflicted by string of terrorist attacks. They failed to agree on a joint investigation into the Mumbai attack that rather whipped up a blame game and strained the relationship further.

Though Bangladesh is enthusiastic over the anti-terrorism taskforce, other countries made lukewarm response to the matter.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stressed concerted efforts to resolve this long-standing problem at a meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Mukherjee did not make any significant remark on the proposed taskforce although the issue was supposed to be at the top of the agenda during the visit of the Indian minister.

Foreign Minister Dipu Moni also said she had talks with Pranab Mukherjee on the regional taskforces. She would take the modalities for the body to other countries in the region for discussion.

Pakistani media however reported that Mukherjee replied in the negative to Bangladesh’s proposal on the anti-terrorism taskforce.

In a report titled “Pranab says no to SA taskforce,” The Nation said, “India has said ‘no’ to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s proposal for forming South Asian Taskforce to fight terrorism in South Asia.

Professor Imtiaz is not worried about Pranab’s silence about the taskforce. “It can be a blessing for South Asia. His silence may rather help draw positive response from Pakistan,” he said.

Some local and international security experts pointed finger at the failure of different initiatives taken by South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) and voiced doubt over the success of a fresh venture.

Shahedul Anam said the issue of Kashmir could overshadow the creation of such a taskforce. “It has caused two wars and numerous skirmishes between the sub-continent's two nuclear neighbours,” he said.

The fact that regional resources must be combined to address terrorism had been acknowledged long ago when the Saarc Convention on Terrorism was adopted in 1987.

The convention was reinforced by the adoption of Additional Protocol on terrorism at the 12th Summit whose modalities were finalised in the Dhaka Summit.

Jim Rolfe, who teaches at Asia Pacific Centre for Security Studies in Honolulu as associate professor, said, “SAARC should get down to implementing the declarations they have agreed upon in various summits.”

The SAARC established a Terrorist Offences Monitoring Desk (STOMD) in Colombo to collate, analyse and disseminate information about the terrorist incidence, tactics, strategies and methods.

In the 11th Summit in Kathmandu in January 2002, the leaders of the SAARC had taken a pledge to make collective efforts to stamp out terrorism.

The Saarc initiatives nipped in the bud. Almost every South Asian nation is riddled with terrorism in one way or another but none of them has seen any action from the Saarc over the last few decades.

There is no doubt that causes of terrorism in South Asia need joint efforts to be uprooted. In South Asia, political, ethno-cultural and religious conflicts, occasional terrorist activities with cross-border ramifications, illegal trafficking of small arms are the same old stories.

Md Shamsul Islam, Research Fellow of Bangladesh Institute of International Strategic Studies, said most of the South Asian countries share the same problem as it had been ruled by same dynasties before and the problems are interconnected.

To be successful in such attempts, Pakistan and India must be seated within to work together as Pakistan is often dubbed as hotbed of extremism.