CrimeTerror Nexus in South Asia: States, Security and NonState Actors (Asian Security Studies)

This book examines the crimeterror nexus in South Asia, focusing in particular on the activities of nonstate actors that operate out of Pakistan, and challenges the conventional wisdom that the Pakistan Taleban (TTP) and AlQaeda are Pakistans most serious security threats.Much research has focused on the policies of India and Pakistan towards Kashmir. But surprisingly little attention has been paid to several notable Pakistanbased nonstate actors who are increasingly operating on their own, and who have the potential to greatly inhibit, if not derail, the peace process there. These groups blur the line between terrorism and organized crime with serious implications for policy in the region. India and Pakistan can engage in confidencebuilding measures, but if criminal actors such as LashkariTaiba (LeT) and DCompany cannot effectively be controlled, a lack of trust between both sides will remain.Although the role of regular military forces is not to be discounted, many of the nonstate actors in IndianHeld Kashmir, such as LeT, are not confined by the same restraints as state forces, thus allowing them engage in more violent actions without fear of reprisal. In order for lawmakers, security personnel, and others to develop sound, comprehensive policies, these forces and their potential to undermine political initiatives must be fully appreciated. This book explores the dynamics of the relationship between Pakistan, DCompany, and LeT and how it affects strategic thought, decisionmaking, and security interests in the region and explains the triangular relationships between states, terrorist groups, and organized criminal syndicates in general, and in India and Pakistan in particular.This book will of much interest to students of South Asian politics, terrorism, organised crime, war and conflict studies, and Security Studies in general.