Intro: The first ever conference to tackle the existing terror predicament and its complications was organised at a magnanimous scale.
The Centre for Strategy and Security, India Foundation organised the first Counter-Terrorism Conference at Jaipur from March 18-21.
The event was a historical milestone in the future of research and action in the field of Security, Strategy and Counter-Terrorism. The representatives of research organisations, think tanks and arms of government dealing with the subject gathered under one roof for setting the global security discourse.
The event was ushered in through a special keynote address by Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser of India. General VP Malik, Former Chief of Army Staff chaired the session. The address dealt with the details of the existing terror predicament, international procedural complications and the missing links between inquiry, investigation and prosecution.
The inaugural session which was held on the morning of March 19 was attended by Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Minister of Home Affairs; Smt Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Chief Minister, Rajasthan; Shri Gulab Chand Kataria, Home Minister of Rajasthan; General VP Malik, Former Chief of Army Staff and Shri ML Kumawat, Vice Chancellor, Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice, Jodhpur.
Smt Vasundhara Raje underscored the relevance of events like these, which includes the perspective of both traditional and non-traditional stakeholders of the terror ecosystem. Shri Rajnath Singh, the Chief Guest and the Union Minister of Home Affairs spoke comprehensively on the existing predicament.
Two special lectures followed the inaugural session. Gen Sarath Fonseka, Former Chief of Defense Staff, Sri Lanka delivered the first special lecture sharing his experience of dealing with LTTE and uprooting it completely. Amrullah Saleh, Former Director of National Directorate of Security, Afghanistan delivered the next lecture. He rightly pointed out that international coalition have failed to tackle the issue of terror sanctuaries across the Afghan border. The special lectures were followed by various technical sessions and parallel workshops that discussed various dimensions of counter terrorism.
The following day started with the third special lecture that was delivered by Dr Daniel Pipes, President, Middle-East Forum, USA and chaired by Dr Sreeradha Dutta, Director, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIAS), Kolkata, India. Mr Pipes shared from his wealth of experience in the area of strategic affairs and terrorism studies. The next a special lecture was delivered by Shuja Nawaz, Distinguished Fellow, South Asia Centre, Atlantic Council, USA on the growing menace of terror in the region. The session was chaired by Prof Dr Klaus Lange, CEO, Institute for Transnational Studies, Italy.
The second day was organised in a way to make it relevant in the context of the dastardly attacks of 26/11.
The third day was dedicated to the larger issue of global terrorism. Tarek Fatah, author and weekly columnist for The Toronto Sun, India delivered the last special lecture. In his lecture he broadly suggested a few recommendations for the government.
The session was chaired by A Mukhopadhaya, Addl. Chief Secretary (Home) of Rajasthan. The valedictory session was attended by Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Home Affairs; Shaurya Doval, Director, India Foundation and ML Kumawat, Vice Chancellor, Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice Jodhpur. Shri Ram Madhav, National General Secretary, BJP chaired the session. He said that an institution catering to research, studies and action in the field of counter-terrorism is on the anvil. India Foundation will make continuing efforts in the field of knowledge related to security, strategy and counter-terrorism, he said. ML Kumawat delivered the vote of thanks. The event was showered with appreciation from all corners of the strategic world. —Organiser Bureau
