The threat, or rather the reality, of terrorism seems to be getting even bigger for the subcontinent.
As if the local players of terrorism, such as the TTP, and the global brand -- al Qaeda -- were not enough to target life and development in the region, the emergence of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and their vow to spread their tentacles as far as the subcontinent and beyond have certainly caused considerable alarm.
The rather sudden birth of IS and, later, al Qaeda’s announcement of turning its focus on the subcontinent, especially India, are developments that call for a serious introspection by the regional countries on how to contain terrorism and, more importantly, how to do it as a combined effort by both India and Pakistan.
While the world is waiting with bated breath how the US acts against IS, it is equally consequential how countries in the subcontinent respond to this palpable threat.
It is quite shocking to note, as Tufail Ahmad says in his story, that a few Indian Muslims have been trapped by the terrorists’ propaganda and actually left their country to join them.
Can India and Pakistan bridge the huge trust deficit that exists between them for their common good?
Understandably, it is not just these two countries that will have to show an objective understanding of the situation; Afghanistan will also have to act responsibly and remain in the loop with its neighbours so that a terrorist act can be averted or contained before it gets out of control.
But before the regional countries get their act together, they will have to put their own house in order first.
The blame game they have fondly and conveniently indulged in so far has only worked to strengthen the ranks of the terrorists. The Afghanistan-Pakistan-India rivalry will have to be replaced by a sense of responsibility and urgency to defeat the obscurantist agenda. Turning a blind eye to the presence of terrorist organisations at home is a non-starter.