NATIONAL 5 (Spotlight Weekly)]

Common Concern

The attack on the Indian parliament heightens the urgency of the war against terrorism in South Asia

By A CORRESPONDENT

Following the daring terrorist attack on the Indian parliament last week, New Delhi is considering all necessary action against terrorism in South Asia. Indian officials have begun by demanding the hand-over of the suspected masterminds of the attack who they believe are based in Pakistan.

According to Indian officials, prompt action by security officers inside the parliament complex averted widespread devastation. The Indian government has asked Pakistan to close down two Pakistan-based Kashmiri outfits it believes carried out the attack and has sought the hand-over of key leaders.

In a late morning gunbattle on Thursday, December 13, five terrorists entered the premises of parliament in a stolen car bearing security passes. They were trying to enter the inner perimeter of the parliament toward the area where a large number of legislators and ministers were assembled when they were confronted by security guards. Thanks to the alertness of the guards, all the intruders were killed in the shoot-out. Seven security officers lost their lives defending the heart of Indian democracy.

India's desire to take decisive action against those behind the attack is understandable, as the country has suffered much from terrorism, especially during the last two decades. Nepal, which has endured sustained terrorist attacks by Maoist insurgents over the last six years, understands India's pain and anguish.

King Gyanendra, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, main opposition leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and other political parties condemned the attack on the Indian parliament. Former prime minister and Nepali Congress leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai spoke on the telephone with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and expressed his shock.

Terrorism must be condemned everywhere and in every form. No one can justify the killing of innocent people under the pretext of any cause. After the Maoists pulled out from peace talks and resumed their violent campaign against the state, the Deuba government had no alternative to declaring the rebels as terrorists and mobilizing the Royal Nepalese Army against them.

However, Maoist leaders have been giving interviews to leading Indian newspapers in which they have been trying to justify their heinous acts. This has served to give credence to persistent reports that Maoist leaders are actively being sheltered in India. Although the Indian government has declared Nepal's Maoists as terrorists — and subsequently termed two of its own Maoist groups as such ó the fact that the Indian media has easy access to senior rebel leaders wanted by Kathmandu points to the need for greater cooperation from New Delhi in the kingdom's fight against terrorism.

As Nepal is hosting the 11th SAARC summit next month, many expect a regional agreement against terrorism to be signed. As neighbors sharing a long and open border, Nepal and India need the full support of each other in their effort to quell terrorism. Moreover, the progress of most South Asian nations, irrespective of their size and strength, faces a major obstacle in the form of terrorism. The time has come for concerted regional action against terrorism.

Shrestha Retires

After serving for over two decades at the United Nations Information Center as an information officer, Narayan Bahadur Shrestha retired in the last week of December. Shrestha's contributions as a bridge between the United Nations and the Nepalese people have been laudable.

Shrestha is well known to the Nepalese media. During his tenure as information officer, Shrestha worked to popularize the causes espoused by the United Nations among the Nepalese people. UNIC was established in 1964 in Kathmandu. Shrestha, who started his career as a radio broadcaster, joined the UNIC in 1976.