Andrea Margelletti, President CeSI, Italy, Visits CRSS; Discusses Daesh and Regional Security_CRSS Blog

Andrea Margelletti, president, Centro Studi Internationali (CeSI), Italy, and his delegation, vistited the Center for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad. The CeSI delegation held a dialogue on counter terrorism in Pakistan and Afghanistan, hosted by the CRSS. CRSS Executive Director Imtiaz Gul, Dr. Shoaib Suddle, General Asif Yasin Malik, Ambassador Qazi Hamayun and Ambassador Sanaullah represented the CRSS. The major points discussed in the dialogue included Daesh’s emergence as a new threat in South Asia, and its increasing global threat for all the countries. Cesi President Margelletti, in his opening remarks, said that international community needs to come up with joint strategies to counter new threats presented by Daesh. Gen. Asif Yasin Malik responded by raising questions about the genuineness of Daesh or ISIS, saying they may be tools in the game of “controlled chaos.” He further said that this so-called trans-nationalist terrorist movement has no future in Pakistan but, terrorist natures of all hue and colour needed to be taken on jointly. The delegates also exchanged views on the course of events in Afghanistan, the forthcoming elections and the prospects of the Taliban insurgency making room for national reconciliation.

Stability in Afghanistan and its impact on Pakistan also came under discussion, with Pakistani delegates including Dr. Suddle and Gen. Malik saying that Afghans shall have to sort out political problems among themselves before others could help them. Pakistani delegates also pointed out that in order to regulate cross-border movement and better monitor the borders, Afghan government and political leadership will do their people big service if it agreed to modern border management mechanisms. The Italian delegation was also interested in how the Pak-China cooperation under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor was evolving. Is China sensitive to political issues while pursuing infrastructure development projects of commercial nature, President Margelletti and his colleagues asked.

Source: CRSS Blog