Editorial: Joint fight against terrorism

It is an encouraging sign that India brought the security experts of the Central Asian Republics together for the maiden meeting of NSAs.

Hyderabad: Terrorism, driven by religion, is the biggest threat to security, peace and development of nations. India has been a victim of cross-border terrorism for decades. The Central Asian countries also face a similar threat, by virtue of sharing their borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan. This common adversary can be effectively tackled through enhanced cooperation among these countries.

The first India-Central Asia meeting of National Security Advisors (NSAs), hosted by New Delhi, displayed a strong resolve to jointly take on the challenge of terrorism in the region. Pluralistic and open democracies are often the targets of the scourge of terrorism which strikes at the very root of tolerance, the mainstay of a free world. The five Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan— have been bearing the brunt of terrorism, fed by religious extremism, for the last few years.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Central Asian region had become the hunting ground for a new breed of the highly motivated Islamic clergy. As it experienced an Islamic revival as a rallying point for cultural identity, it made the region even more attractive for Pakistan which is keen on expanding its influence. The Central Asian Republics are more vulnerable to the Islamic card due to decades of religious oppression under Soviet rule. It is an encouraging sign that India brought the security experts of the Central Asian Republics together for the maiden meeting of NSAs.

The meeting, hosted by NSA Ajit Doval, pledged to formulate a collective action to deal with the use of terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, terror financing and radicalisation and asserted that Afghanistan must not become a safe haven for terrorist activities. The high-level meeting flows from the India-Central Asia virtual summit that took place in January. In November last year, India hosted a regional dialogue on the Afghanistan situation that was attended by NSAs of Russia and Iran, apart from Central Asian countries. Significantly, there was a mention of cross-border terrorism in what is seen as a vindication of India’s position. Since financial support forms the lifeline of terrorism, top priority should be accorded to counter terror financing.

The use of Afghan territory by Pakistan-based terror groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba has serious ramifications for India which has invested around $3 billion in over 500 projects in Afghanistan. These projects, spread across various provinces, cover power, water supply, road connectivity, healthcare, education and agriculture sectors. India has extended liberal assistance to the Afghan people in the form of foodgrains, medicines and Covid-19 vaccines. New Delhi cannot afford to squander away the goodwill built over the past two decades. India has sharpened its focus on the Central Asian states both to counter China’s growing presence in the region and strengthen cooperation with Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of that country.