Security pacts will stop Daesh in South Asia

Daesh is under pressure in Syria and Iraq but is making inroads into South Asia as recent attacks show. Warnings were sounded many months ago about terrorist organisations mutating and going on a killing spree in the region. First, it was the Taleban which remains a deadly foe in the region. The group threatens civil society in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Elements of Al Qaeda, meanwhile, have become part of the populace in both the countries. Sleeper cells lurk in the shadows. Urban warfare is against a silent enemy who could be amongst us. The terror nexus has now become deadlier with the advent of Daesh which has its origins in the battlefields of Syria and Iraq. Extremist networks have spread their wings and innocents are losing their lives. A police training centre in Quetta, Pakistan, was attacked on Monday night; 59 lives were lost and 200 were wounded as two suicide bombers wreaked havoc. The Afghan Taleban has a base in Quetta. Several meetings of the group have been held in the restive city.

What should, however, worry security forces in Pakistan is the coming together of Al Qaeda, Taleban and Daesh under a single terror umbrella which could make the nexus complete and potent. Army operations against militants in the mountains bordering Afghanistan had curbed the activities of both the Taleban and Al Qaeda. Many members of the group are on the run or may have joined Daesh, which is not letting a blood-letting opportunity go waste in South Asia. The group also claimed responsibility for the death of 70 people at a Quetta hospital in August. The rise of Daesh calls for greater security cooperation between security agencies and the intelligence communities in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. But Pakistan has strained ties with both its neighbours which could impede the global fight against terrorism. Pointing fingers at each other is no solution to a looming crisis that threatens the region. The three countries should instead join hands against a common foe which knows no boundaries.