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Need for stronger SCO role against terrorism

By Wang Wenwen in Global Times, Apr 23, 2019
The ghastly bombings of hotels and churches in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday highlighted the need for Asian countries to strengthen coordination to prevent such tragedies from happening again. And the role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) should be enhanced.

The violence broke a decade-long peace in the country which had been dogged by its civil war until 2009. The Sri Lankan government described the attacks as “a brand new type of terrorism” and believes that a local Islamist extremist group called the National Thowheeth Jama’ath was behind the deadly attacks.

What happened in Sri Lanka sounds the alarm for all countries in Asia, a region that has already been plagued by terrorism and extremism. China itself is a victim of terrorism. In Southeast Asia, Singapore had been targeted by foreign IS militants and Malaysia is battling a rise in the radicalization of the local population. The Central Asian region has long seen terrorism as a cross-border phenomenon, and to the South, India and Pakistan are also disrupted by constant terror attacks.

Faced with the common threat of humanity, all Asian countries seem to be unanimous in their condemnation of terrorism. China has offered firm support to the Sri Lankan government’s efforts to maintain national security and stability.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned in the strongest terms the serial terror attacks in Sri Lanka and also offered assistance to the country for security against terror-related challenges.

Based on these consensuses, it is high time that SCO set up a coordinated system to fight terrorism in the region in an efficient and effective manner.

It was reported that an intelligence alert was sent 10 days ago to top officers from a police chief. In a tweet after the Sunday attacks, Telecommunications Minister Harin Fernando admitted that “there was a delay in action.” If there had been coordination and intelligence sharing, governments could have found a way to prevent the tragedy in Sri Lanka.

The SCO, in which Sri Lanka is a dialogue partner, has been shouldering the task of rooting out the three evil forces, namely terrorism, separatism and extremism, with a focus on Central Asia and South Asia. Now this bloc considers it necessary to promote the creation of a single global anti-terrorism front with the UN playing a central coordinating role.

Further anti-terrorism cooperation within the SCO requires mutual trust, while mutual trust can only be gained through more cooperation. In the wake of the attacks in Sri Lanka, the SCO should strengthen cooperation among its member states, observers and dialogue partners and, when necessary, consider including more regional countries which would contribute to this arduous process. http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1146968.shtml

 

Sri Lanka bombings: IS claims responsibility: edit in Business Recorder, Apr 24, 2019
Having emerged in one piece from the long lasting Tamil Tigers’ insurgency, Sri Lanka was slowly but steadily returning to normality. Having healed deep wounds caused by the horrific ordeal of civil war the island state had begun acquiring semblance of a functional and often tumultuous democracy. Though at times there was religion-triggered violence the country was coming up as a holiday destination. For a home of multiple ethnicities and religions it was no small miracle. But for how long? On this past Easter Sunday, the demons of terrorism landed back in Sri Lanka and drenched national capital Colombo and eastern city of Batticaloa in blood. They carried out something like eight explosions in three churches, four hotels and at a public place. It is yet to be determined if all of these were suicide-bombings or remote-controlled explosions. The death toll the terrorists exacted was massive – probably third highest after the 9/11 and massacre at a school in Russia. By day Monday morning, it was 310 dead and nearly 500 injured, and given the high number of critically injured the death toll is likely to rise. The victims of this satanic act were children, women and men, including some three dozen foreigners. Whatever the Sri Lanka government could do as post-incident operation was done. Curfew was imposed, the social media put out of action, and travel to and from Colombo was brought under stiffer watch.

Yesterday, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Easter Sunday bombings, hours after Colombo said it had information indicating the plotters were reacting to last month’s terrorist attacks in New Zealand. A foreign agency report had earlier said the “NTJ (National Thowheeth Jama’ath) was planning to carry out attacks targeting prominent churches as well as Indian high commission in Colombo”. The concerned authorities seem to had ignored this warning, as is evident from lack of appropriate protective measures at churches and hotels. Moreover, Islamic State wanted to pay back the anti-Muslim violence by militant Buddhists. Maybe there was Islamic State affiliate that was unhappy over the Sri Lankan authorities’ lack of verve and will to deny their turf as second home to anti-Rohingya Buddhists of Myanmar. It is hoped that Sri Lanka succeeds in tracing and hounding out the terrorists. Emergency has been declared giving Sri Lankan military war-time powers; and police arrested 40 suspects.

While we mourn deaths in Sri Lankan churches and hotels we must not forget that in ultimate analysis terrorism stems from the pits of injustice, invariably committed by the majorities against the minorities – be it in terms of faith fellowship or political partnership. That is a human failing and may take many more saviours to heal this wound. But it is doable, as was done by brave and humane prime minister of New Zealand. If there is another such person, we don’t know. But we do know that the inter-state rivalry is often the volcano that throws up this lava of terrorism by waging proxy wars and using terrorist outfits as their weapon of choice. We feel that the time has come that instead of deploying this weapon they should join hands and collectively defeat this onslaught of international terrorism. The Sri Lankan government is required to ensure that the Tamil-origin minorities – Christians, Muslims and Hindus – are treated as equal citizens by it, especially now that these bombings are likely to fuel ethnic and communal tensions.
https://fp.brecorder.com/2019/04/20190424466820/

 

Sri Lankan tragedy calls for global action
By Talat Masood Published in The Express Tribune, April 24th, 2019.
The writer is a retired lieutenant general of the Pakistan Army and a former federal secretary.

The eight devastating bomb blasts that targeted three churches and several posh hotels in Sri Lanka killing nearly 300 people and leaving hundreds injured have shaken the conscience of the civilised world. Simultaneously, it has once again reminded us of the horrible spectre of 9/11 and the active presence of Islamic State, al Qaeda and several other terrorist outfits. The intensity, sophistication and simultaneity of the Sri Lankan attacks were a demonstration of how global terrorist organisations are trying to outmanoeuvre the state security and intelligence organisations. More troubling aspect is the supposed facilitation of local persons for such a major terrorist plan that could not be executed without a significant support base.

Sri Lankan security agencies have so far not been able to confirm the identity of the perpetrators of crime. They maintain the terrorists were local with possible affiliation with overseas militant organisations and religious extremist factions.

There is also a perception that it came in retaliation for the terrorist attack on the mosques in New Zealand. Whatever the evil motives, the fact that internal terrorist organisations in collaboration with foreign elements and affiliates of different faiths and denominations remain active is alarming. Fingers are also being pointed towards the remnants of Tamil Tigers as there are many discontented elements that either independently or in collaboration with Islamic State or other groups could also be involved. According to the Sri Lankan government, a local religious group, National Thowheed Jamaath, is behind the attacks. Although many experts believe that they are too weak and could not have launched a major operation, if at all, without the full backing of international terrorist networks. It is possible that the Sri Lankan government is still unsure and may have been groping in the dark.
Militant organisations benefit from finding space in weak states to carry out their nefarious designs. But several sophisticated militant groups have defied conventional wisdom by striking in developed nations that have sophisticated security and intelligence services.

Militant organisations have also taken advantage of globalisation by expanding their network across countries. This is the negative face of globalisation.

Apart from severe agony suffered by the huge loss of human lives, the terrorist attacks would be a major setback, albeit temporary, to Sri Lanka’s flourishing tourist industry, prospective investment and the economy as a whole. Terrorists aim as much to hurt the economy as they relish death and destruction.

Considering the nature of terrorism and its global reach, it becomes mandatory on every nation to fully cooperate with each other on intelligence and other aspects that would shrink the operating space of militant groups. Building protective walls, fencing and use of satellites and other technological means are necessary but not sufficient for combating terrorism. Cooperation among nations, a satisfied polity and economic development do contribute toward combating terrorism.

Several countries continue to use militant proxies to harm their regional or global opponents. They promote and patronise these groups. Pakistan has been a victim of it and so has been Sri Lanka. For several decades India in a clandestine way or openly has sided with Tamil insurgents. During the Tamil insurgency, RAW provided military training and indoctrination to these insurgents. It is only when Indian leadership realised that the policy would backfire on its own unity that they retracted.

The recent unfortunate events in Sri Lanka remind us of our national tragedy when terrorists committed the most horrendous attack on innocent students and teaching staff at the Army Public School in Peshawar. It shook Pakistan to its core and prompted it to take the challenge of terrorism more seriously. It also resulted in the formulation of the National Action Plan. Recent terrorist attacks on the Hazara community and security forces in Balochistan and upsurge in the incidents in North Waziristan should also be a matter of serious concern. Our government would be well advised to pay greater attention to security and take the local population along in fighting this menace.

According to international observers, Pakistan ranks among the seven most dangerous countries for Christians. This is a huge stigma and the Pakistani leadership will have to make sustained efforts in close cooperation with religious and civil society leaders to overcome this weakness. Our record in dealing with other religious minorities, like Hindus, raises similar concerns. Cases of forced conversions have been on the rise. We need to develop a culture that respects religious freedom.

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s call to Iran for closely cooperating on security and other allied border problems of smuggling and drug trafficking is a wise step. Its faithful implementation would be the key to success. After all India’s super-spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, until caught by Pakistani security forces, was operating from the Iranian side of the border. Iran would be justifiably expecting of Pakistan to implement, in letter and spirit, its part of responsibilities. Moreover, close cooperation with Iran and distancing itself from the Arab-Iran rivalry would undoubtedly strengthen national unity and increase our leverage in the Muslim world. This, however, in no way should be an impediment to our exemplary relationship with Saudi Arabia. All these measures — if implemented in good faith — should greatly contribute toward furthering peace and development in the region.

Greater harmony among Muslim countries should reduce space for terrorist groups that exploit religion or sectarian differences to advance their nefarious designs. At the global level, promoting religious harmony should be the essence of the policies of major powers. Unfortunately, the global trend is just the opposite. There is a wave of acute narrow nationalism and emergence of leaders like President Trump and of certain East European countries that have sharpened religious differences. These trends need to be curbed but it would only be possible if international situation changes toward a more cooperative and liberal polity.

The Sri Lankan tragedy once again brings to the fore the urgent need for greater cooperation on security issues at the global level. But whether the world is prepared for it is a big question mark.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1957614/6-sri-lankan-tragedy-calls-global-action/

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