Resurgent Taliban Poses Greater Security Challenges for Pakistan

Pakistan has been struggling to cope with a multitude of predicaments ranging from political instability to sectarian intolerance which often prompts the international community to tag this South Asian nation as a failing state. The homegrown neo-Talibanism in the tribal areas adjoining Afghanistan and Jihadi proxies in areas bordering India continues to pose myriad security challenges for Pakistan’s internal security as well as physical integrity.

 

ANIMESH ROUL

Radicalization, Terrorism and Community Engagement in India-I

The arrest of the suspects of terror activities in Bangalore, Nanded, and Hyderabad and the low-intensity bomb explosions in Pune on 1 August 2012 are pointing fingers at the involvement of some Indian Muslims. Earlier also, many of the terrorist attacks against cities in India had been conceptualized and planned by Indian Muslims who sought to attack their own country. Despite these events, India has not taken any comprehensive community engagement programme (CEP) to engage the Muslim community to check radicalization, which is a solid tool for controlling homegrown terrorism.

DR. R. BHANU KRISHNA KIRAN

India’s War on Terrorism and International Cooperation

The fortitude of cooperation and practical attitude in the investigation of transnational terrorist crimes is indispensable. Indian investigating agencies have been undergoing with many problems in trail of the terrorist related cases in investigations and checks in other countries. Consequently, cooperation between law enforcing authorities of different countries is a vital tool for fighting threats to security. It requires sustained cross border cooperation, coherent regional cooperation and specific global cooperation.

R. BHANU KRISHNA KIRAN

Government and Negligence: Are they Synonyms?

On May 25 an explosion was reported outside the Delhi High Court in the scorching heat of the afternoon. It led to terror and fear amongst the people and without delay authorities set off high alert in the capital and tighten the security at public places. This has been the scene after every blast. Fortunately, no one was injured. May 25 blast was the second in the preceding eight months that happened on September 19, 2010. Many security measures were taken and made sure that further no such explosions would take place.

MALLIKA SINHA

Terror and Politics: Lashkar-e-Taiba, HuJI and Assassinations in Bangladesh

Very often western observers play down the existence and influence of Pakistan based Lashkar- e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami inside Bangladesh’s territory. Investigations into number of terror strikes in Bangladesh occurred between May 2004 and December 2005 have revealed, rather unearthed, a lethal nexus between these two Pakistan based terror groups and couple of mainstream political parties (Pro-Islamic Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in Bangladesh. It also revealed how they teamed up to score a political point by assassinating rival political leaders.

Animesh Roul

Terrorism in South Asia: Impacts on Development and Democratic Process

Review by Niraj Kumar (August 28, 2010): The terrorist attacks in New York and Washington DC on September 11, 2001, shocked the international community. Terrorism, which by and large was considered a phenomenon limited to the Middle East and South Asia, was threatening the world's most rich and powerful — the United States. The initial response to these terrorist acts was a knee-jerk military attack led by the US on the bases of al-Qaeda and its host Taliban in Afghanistan.

Terror Sans Frontier: Islamic Militancy in North East India

Review by S S Tabraz: Terror Sans Frontier: Islamic Militancy in North East India by Jaideep Saikia (Vision Books, New Delhi, 2004) is a book which deals with the issue of Islamic militancy in India’s Northeast region in general and Assam in particular. Saikia is an old hand in observing the affairs of India’s Northeast, and this time around, he has come up with an excellent analysis of the simmering problems of militancy in this part of India. This book is divided into five chapters in all.