'Blame-game' erodes regional security efforts: experts
Sunday, 26 October 2008
Top security experts of the region say the major obstacle to eliminating terrorism from South Asia is 'finger pointing', which undermines regional cooperation for security, reports bdnews24.com.
They voiced concern that terrorist groups were taking advantage of the blame-game among neighbouring states of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), at the inauguration of Dhaka-based research body, "South Asian Regional Research Forum (SARRF)", aiming to study the region's security and terrorism.
"Unfortunately, we very often hunt for outside linkages whenever any terrorism attack takes place, instead of hunting out the culprits," said Dipankar Banerjee, head of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies in India.
"India is also guilty of sometimes pointing fingers outside," said Major General (retd) Muniruzzaman, president of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies.
Supporting the view, he said there was no window in the SAARC charter, as with the ASEAN Regional Forum, giving a platform to discuss regional security issues in South Asia.
He said SARRF would work as a body to recommend measures for the region's governments on security and terrorism.
The newly formed body's first major initiative will be an international conference in February next year to discuss regional security and its threats.
Ranga Prasanna Kalansooriya of Sri Lankan International Centre for Terrorism Research and Conflict Management pointed out that the South Asian region began experiencing terrorism two to three decades before 9/11.
"LTTE, being the lone terrorist group in the world having air and naval clout, introduced the culture of suicide bombing in the region," said Kalansooriya.
Muhammad Amir Rana, director of Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, Nischal Nath Pandey, secretary to Nepal's South Asian Foundation, and Waliullah Rahmani of the Kabul Centre of Strategic Studies also spoke, among others, on the occasion.
They voiced concern that terrorist groups were taking advantage of the blame-game among neighbouring states of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), at the inauguration of Dhaka-based research body, "South Asian Regional Research Forum (SARRF)", aiming to study the region's security and terrorism.
"Unfortunately, we very often hunt for outside linkages whenever any terrorism attack takes place, instead of hunting out the culprits," said Dipankar Banerjee, head of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies in India.
"India is also guilty of sometimes pointing fingers outside," said Major General (retd) Muniruzzaman, president of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies.
Supporting the view, he said there was no window in the SAARC charter, as with the ASEAN Regional Forum, giving a platform to discuss regional security issues in South Asia.
He said SARRF would work as a body to recommend measures for the region's governments on security and terrorism.
The newly formed body's first major initiative will be an international conference in February next year to discuss regional security and its threats.
Ranga Prasanna Kalansooriya of Sri Lankan International Centre for Terrorism Research and Conflict Management pointed out that the South Asian region began experiencing terrorism two to three decades before 9/11.
"LTTE, being the lone terrorist group in the world having air and naval clout, introduced the culture of suicide bombing in the region," said Kalansooriya.
Muhammad Amir Rana, director of Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, Nischal Nath Pandey, secretary to Nepal's South Asian Foundation, and Waliullah Rahmani of the Kabul Centre of Strategic Studies also spoke, among others, on the occasion.