Terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba are increasingly taking to social media to further widen their outreach. By integrating social media with self-developed android apps, Lashkar is also turning from mere technology user into a product developer.

Both India and Pakistan must immediately review their security practices for the protection of vital and vulnerable national assets, which in Pakistan’s case must also include nuclear weapons.

While India is augmenting the security of the Lakshadweep islands, implementation of the coastal security scheme on the ground has been slow.

Though the Indus Water Treaty apportions 80 per cent of the waters of the Indus River Basin to Pakistan and only 20 per cent to India, Pakistan is engaged in baseless allegations to inflame public opinion and project India as its number one threat.

The most dangerous aspect of the war on terror from India’s security point of view has been the CIA’s monetary assistance to the ISI.

It is true that any negotiation with the outfit in the absence of Paresh Barua is going to meet only with partial success, but if the government manages to mainstream Arabinda Rajkhowa, the support base of ULFA would further erode.

Not only will Pakistan have to take on all sorts of Pakistani Taliban, it will also have to end the network of jihadists in provinces like Punjab and Sindh if it really wants to get rid of the Islamist menace.

The coming to power of Sheikh Hasina and General Moeen’s determined efforts to transform the army into a fully professional force have weakened elements that support terrorism in Bangladesh.

While countries need to adopt each other’s best practices to deal with the hydra-headed monster called terrorism, there cannot be a magic bullet or a single successful counter-terror strategy.