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Open ForumThe Prabodhini's Mission includes anything and everything about democracy, leadership, good governance and volunteer work, as also development activism, institution building and above all, human development! All those desirous of contributing to this Forum, should send their articles, essays, features or just plain thoughts to forumeditor@rmponweb.org The Pioneer http://www.dailypioneer.com EDITS | Monday, December 29, 2008 Fight jihadis at home firstJoginder SinghWhenever there is a terrorist attack the finger of suspicion rightly points towards Pakistan, a country that has sheltered, trained and protected terrorists over the last three decades. Whatever Government there may be in Islamabad, Pakistan has always tried to bleed India with a thousand cuts. Irrespective of the fact whether it is under Army or civilian rule, our western neighbour has been following a consistent anti-India policy. By now it has a small section of people embedded within the Indian population who act as sleeper cells and provide logistical support to terrorists engaged in jihad against India. Even if Pakistan's current rulers want to end this menace of terrorism, for terrorism has equally devastated Pakistani society in recent years, they would have to step on the toes of the Pakistani Army that supports terrorist organisations like the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba through the rogue ISI. The Army has even described these terrorists as freedom fighters. It sees these jihadis as acting on their behalf and in their own interest and therefore, supports them fully. Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has vowed to crack down on anti-India terrorists and recently even made a show of 'arresting' some suspects in connection with the Mumbai terror attacks. All civilian leaders in Islamabad at least claim that it is in Pakistan's interest to ensure that the country does not become a refuge for terrorists. But given the persuasions of the powerful Army they have but little choice in the matter. The recent terror attacks on Mumbai, which claimed 164 lives and injured over 300 civilians, have re-opened the wounds of thousands of people in different parts of India who in recent years have been helpless witnesses to the horrors of terrorism. The following is a list of terror strikes in India over the last 12 months:
November 26, 2008 (Mumbai): 164 killed and over 300 injured in fidayeen attacks on the Taj Mahal Palace, Chabad House, Oberoi-Trident Hotel and CST. There were attacks in other parts of Mumbai as well, and the hostage situation at the two hotels and Chabad House lasted for more than 60 hours. Nine terrorists were gunned down, while one was caught alive. As many as 20 policemen and two NSG commandos were killed, while 26 foreign nationals were among the dead. More than 600 people have been killed and hundreds maimed and devastated in terror strikes in India in the last six years. Now, the question is what options do we have to deal with this menace? Whenever there is a major terrorist attack one solution which is always touted is undertaking military strikes to destroy the terrorist camps in Pakistan. However, terrorists are difficult to isolate and pinpoint and a military strike on Pakistan, even if targeted at terror camps, will lead to a full-scale war between the two countries. There are no rules in war, and therefore, there cannot be an agreement between the two warring parties that only conventional weapons will be used. We are often told that tough anti-terror laws are prone to abuse. Hence, the new laws that have been passed by Parliament, while plugging many loopholes, are perceived as not sufficient to deal with terrorism. Assuming that the anti-terror will be misused, does it mean that we should not have stringent laws against terrorism? It seems that some of our leaders are more bothered about the human rights of terrorists than the human rights of hundreds of innocent civilians who are being butchered by jihadis. Human rights are for human beings and not fidayeen squads. Tough circumstances require tough responses. The Government should give clear orders to the forces at the border to shoot down all intruders. It should also display boards at the border that anybody entering India illegally will be shot dead. Let there also be periodical loudspeaker announcements at the border to that effect, so that nobody can say that he was taken unawares. It is true that people across the border sometimes unwittingly stray into Indian territory. These people should be treated humanely and deported back to their homeland. Instead of waging war, it will be prudent for India to fence the entire border and strengthen border patrolling. One thing is clear: Most Pakistani rulers, whether Army or civilian, survive only on hate-India-sentiments. They talk of peace when they are out of power. Even Benazir Bhutto as Prime Minister indulged in war rhetoric, not unlike her father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who had publicly pledged to wage a 1000-year war against India. This was later repeated by Benazir Bhutto; then Prime Minister VP Singh had responded by saying that Pakistan would not last even a thousand hours if it embarked on a misadventure. War rhetoric apart, the only way we can deal with terrorism effectively is to make it cost-prohibitive. It will be best to deal with it on our own territory and on our own terms than on the territory of Pakistan. Thus, we must focus on clamping down on terrorists and their supporters at home first. Other Articles |