SCO: EFFECTIVE PLATFORM TO COMBAT TERRORISM IN PAKISTAN

 

SCO: A WORKABLE METHODOLOGY FOR COMBATTING 

TERRORISM IN PAKISTAN Pakistan has been shook once more by terrorism. After devastation in KP, the blacklisted TTP attacked the federal capital, highlighting the agonizing reality that the current wave of terrorism may very well spread to other parts of the State unless the militant organization is stopped in its tracks.

A police officer was killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up in Islamabad during the day and police tried to stop his car to check on him. Terrorism is without a doubt spreading beyond the country's borders. The state's current wave of terrorism is extremely concerning. It is stated that no other location in the state is safe if the capital is not.

The flagrant assault on security officers occurred outside the Bannu Cantonment facility of the counter-terrorism department (CTD) a few days prior to this incident.

Five precious lives were lost during the TTP inmates' siege and hostage taking at the center, which began on December 18 and lasted more than 60 hours.

On December 18 and 19, terrorists also raided a police station in Lakki Marwat, North and South Waziristan, near Bannu.

There, dozens of TTP militants beat up police officers and stole all of their weapons, warning all local officials to resign as soon as possible. Just one day prior to the TTP attack on the CTD and the Bargi Police Station in Lakki Marwat, TTP head Noor Wali Mehsud told CNN that his organization is not using Afghanistan territory for strikes within Pakistan. Mehsud appears to be under the protection of the Taliban government.

Ironically, Noor Mehsud followed this up by promising not to give up to his "Mujahideen," who were occupying the CTD building on December 20.

Centcom Chief Gen. Michael E. Kurilla visited Pakistan at the same time and offered "every possible help" against the TTP.

The US State Department had named four TTP and Al-Qaeda Subcontinent combatants as global terrorists nearly two weeks earlier.

The TTP is one of the stakeholders that has heavily adapted the Taliban's Shariah ideology for use in Pakistan.

It intends to establish its ideal Caliphate by taking control of the border region. It is unacceptable that it wants the Pakistani Army to leave the border regions. The United States, which regrets leaving Afghanistan and wishes for a warm return, is an additional significant stakeholder.

This is only possible if Pakistan is shown to have completely failed to eradicate domestic terrorism and come up with a workable solution to its issues with the Taliban government.

The third stakeholder is India and other states, who see CPEC as a threat to their monopoly in this region and want to stop it.

Pakistan has been fighting terrorism with the USA as its "Non-NATO Ally" ever since the events of September 11, 2001.

It is essential to take into consideration regional organizations like the SCO when working together with the international community to fight terrorism.

SCO has pledged to coordinate efforts to combat common security challenges and threats, increase communication and collaboration, combat all forms of terrorism, strengthen global information security, and improve emergency response in order to guarantee complete security.

The organization's collective response to the ever-increasing threat posed by extremism is the SCO Convention on Countering Extremism.

The Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism, and Extremism, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Convention Against Terrorism, and the SCO Member States Programme on Cooperation in Combating Terrorism, Separatism, and Extremism are also included in this. The SCO Convention on Countering Extremism aims to strengthen security, enhance effective collaboration among member states, and improve the legal environment in this area.

Since 2016, joint training exercises known as Druzhba have been attended annually by Russian and Pakistani military personnel.

They involve members of the special operations teams of both nations. The training and sharing of experiences with other special forces are the objectives of the exercises.

Russia has already expressed concern regarding the necessity of expanding Pakistan and Russia's multifaceted bilateral cooperation, which includes counterterrorism.

Additionally, the two nations agreed to enhance military training cooperation. Even though the conflict in Ukraine has stopped the joint military exercise this year, it should not be ignored that it will happen.

Pakistan shares the interests of Russia, China, and Iran when it comes to counterterrorism and regional stability.

They want a peaceful Afghanistan with little US involvement. They are well aware of the connection between a prosperous and forward-thinking region and counterterrorism. As a result, in order to effectively combat terrorism, they ought to cooperate with Pakistan.