The New Nation - Internet Edition

Mohammad Shahidul Islam

At last SAARC has come to realize that hibernation of defeating terrorism could be the actual threat towards the peace or prosperity in the region. All leaders took pains to stress this point during their speeches at the 15th SAARC summit in Colombo.

For the first time SAARC leaders have decided together to consider a legal framework for cooperation in combating terrorism with a legal mechanism for effectively dealing with the threat.

The need, SAARC has moved foward, for defeating this fiend jointly itself shows inter-connectivity of the terrorist problem and the need for a mutual arrangement to eliminate the evil.

The tone and theme of appeals of all leaders for a joint SAARC initiatives to combat terrorism were akin to a clarion call to all South Asians to rid the region of the this scourge once and for all without which progress and stability in the region could only be a pipe dream.

All past SAARC Summits treated this topic with the utmost priority but after some initial efforts to combat the menace interest faded when focus shifted elsewhere putting paid to all the initiatives discussed to tackle terrorism. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said "we must ensure strengthening regional legal mechanisms and intensifying intelligence sharing to ensure the region's collective prosperity and peace and stability."

The significance of the summit is that whatever plans discussed on the economic front will not succeed keeping the region under continued tension that could hardly be a recipe for the peoples' emancipation sought to be achieved by SAARC.

Leaders of SAARC, battling the terrorism in the world, have become aware of what impact it has had on social development and economic progress. The devastation wrought as a result of an alignment of terrorist forces in the region could be too chilling to contemplate.

It would not only stifle progress but also deal a death knell to SAARC goals and aspirations. Already the chaos wrought by the serial bombings in India had brought home the threat posed to the region by terrorism.

SAARC leaders' views in this regard were echoed by as SAARC Head Dr. Manmohan Singh who left no doubt on the resolve of India to confront the menace head on.

The Indian Premier said "we cannot lose the battle against idealogies of hatred, fanaticism and against all those who seek to destroy our social fabric".

In the words of President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan the newest entrant to the SAARC club "no amount of condemnation and outrage can suffice to express the anger and frustration we all feel when faced with such mindless brutality and violence" in reference to the attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul.

This is the first time that the issue of terrorism had dominated the SAARC summit to such an unprecedented degree. From the emphasis laid by all SAARC Heads of State in their speeches it is apparent that more concrete measures would emerge to tackle terrorism in the region in a more forceful manner.

Sri lankan President Rajapaksa as the Head of SAARC, we have to be optimistic, would take the forefront in ensuring that the topic would not be allowed to peter out in the course of time as in the past and would take measures to ensure the institutional mechanisms drawn up in this regard would be implemented to the letter.

It hopes that SAARC nations' efforts for collective action to combat terrorism will this time around bear fruition paving the way for regional peace spelling prosperity and a new dawn for South Asians.