The Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE), a Kathmandu-based foreign policy think-tank on Wednesday organized a high-level seminar on “Terrorism in South Asia: Challenges to Regional Peace and Security” in Kathmandu. 

Sunil Bahadur Thapa, advisor to the President of Nepal and former Minister of Industry, said that that Groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which are UN-designated terrorist organizations, have historical ties to Al-Qaida and operate in Pakistan, posing risks to India and potentially using Nepal as a transit point.

Minendra Rijal, Former Defense Minister of Nepal, stressed that a terrorist attack on India will have spillover effects on Nepal. He called for global unity—similar to the solidarity seen after the September 11 attacks in the United States—to combat terrorism effectively.

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.

Dinesh Bhattarai, former Diplomat and Advisor to Former Prime of Nepal shared Pahalgam attack was the deadliest attack in recent years, because the victims were brutally killed after asked them to disclose their religion and shot in their head. 

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. 

On the occasion, Sumitra Karki, Director of NIICE and Pramod Jaiswal, Research Director at NIICE spoke about the wide-range of issues related to terrorism.