KATHMANDU, Feb 28: Veteran diplomat Shambhu Ram Simkhada on Monday inaugurated a two-day regional conference on 'Countering Youth Radicalization in South Asia', being organized by the Center for South Asian Studies (CSAS) in cooperation with the Konrad Adenaur Stiftung (KAS) Foundation. The conference being held in Kathmandu brings together experts from all eight SAARC member states.
In the first day of the conference, Mallika Joseph, head of the Department of National Security Studies at the Central University of Jammu, India, highlighted the cases of growing radicalization of Muslim youths in southern Indian states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Joseph was of the view that India had perhaps not done enough to engage these youths and to really try to understand their problems.
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Likewise, Shabana Fayyaz, associate professor of Department of Defense and Strategic Studies at Quaid-I-Azam University in Islamabad, talked about the 'youth bulge' in Pakistan and how a young population, deprived of good career opportunities, was becoming increasingly prone to radical ideas.
Former AIG of Armed Police Force in Nepal, Rabi Raj Thapa, for his part spoke on how there has been little study on youth radicalization in Nepal and how it's a new concept even for law enforcement agencies. Only by better understanding of the phenomenon can actions be taken to counter it, he said.
