NIICE Organizes the Seminar on ‘Terrorism in South Asia’

Kathmandu: The Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE) has organized a high-level seminar on “Terrorism in South Asia: Challenges to Regional Peace and Security” on July 9 in Kathmandu.

NP Saud, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Irrigation, stated that Nepal and regional powers should develop a clear mechanism to control terrorism, warning that terrorism affects everyone indiscriminately.

Dr. Minendra Rijal, former Defense Minister of Nepal, stressed that a terrorist attack on India will have spillover effects on Nepal. Similarly, Chanda Chaudhary, Member of Parliament and former Minister for Women, Children, and Senior Citizens, highlighted the importance of curbing money laundering as a means to prevent cross-border terrorism.

Likewise, Shisir Khanal, former Minister, appreciated India’s immediate and forceful response, including military action through ‘Operation Sindoor’. Dr. Dinesh Bhattarai, former Diplomat and Advisor to the Former Prime Minister of Nepal, shared that the Pahalgam attack was the deadliest attack in recent years, because the victims were brutally killed based on their religion.

Former Foreign Secretary Amb. Madhu Raman Acharya stressed the need for intelligence sharing and joint border patrolling between India and Nepal. He added that in the “fight against terrorism, we are with India.”

Another speaker Dr. Purna Silwal, former Major General of the Nepal Army, emphasized that countries must avoid double standards in counter-terrorism efforts if terrorism is to be eradicated.

Sumitra Karki, Director of NIICE, referred to the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 from Kathmandu by Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and the April terror attack in Pahalgam by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba that killed 26 civilians, including one Nepali national, to highlight Nepal’s vulnerability to terrorism.

Dr. Pramod Jaiswal, Research Director at NIICE, also highlighted the terrorism in South Asia. The seminar brought together senior political leaders, former ministers, security experts, academicians, and scholars, and was attended by over 150 participants, including members of the diplomatic community, civil society, policymakers, security personnel, journalists, and academics.