In November 2008, operatives from the Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out 12 coordinated terrorist attacks across Mumbai, killing 164 and wounding over 300. The days following the attacks saw tensions rise between India and Pakistan. War clouds hovered over South Asia for weeks before the crisis abated, in part due to U.S. mediation.

Since the Mumbai crisis, India-Pakistan tensions have simmered, with violence levels on the Line of Control in Kashmir being at their highest since a cease-fire was agreed on in 2003. While no terrorist attacks on the scale of Mumbai have occurred since 2008, terrorism remains an ever-present danger and mutual mistrust among regional states continues to make its resolution difficult. Now, transnational groups like Daesh and rejuvenated ones like al-Qaida in South Asia further complicate the terrorist landscape.

What lessons do India and Pakistan seem to have learned from the Mumbai experience? Are India and Pakistan better prepared to deal with terrorism jointly and/or separately? Is crisis management between the two easier or tougher than a decade ago? Is elimination of terrorism from the region possible in the foreseeable future? To reflect on these questions and the future of terrorism in the region, USIP hosted a panel discussion on Tuesday, November 27th from 2:00pm – 3:30pm. Take part in the conversation on Twitter with #SouthAsiaCT.

Speakers

Shamila Chaudhary
Senior Fellow, New America

Happymon Jacob (via Skype)
Associate Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Riaz Mohammad Khan
Former Foreign Secretary of Pakistan

Stephen Tankel
Associate Professor, American University

Moeed Yusuf, moderator
Associate Vice President, Asia Center, U.S. Institute of Peace

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