Unite against the terror, at least

Not withstanding homilies from assorted politicians, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition included, what a bruised and angry people would like to see is concrete evidence of a firm response to the latest jehadi challenge in Mumbai. After each massacre of innocent civilians, the same old cacophony is heard from almost the same old commentators, critics and talking heads on myriad television channels.

India, they tell you, has become a soft State, the ISI-sponsored outfits have their collaborators and agents in the local population, that the intelligence agencies have failed in cracking the conspiracy before it was too late and so on and so forth.

After expending their vocal energies for a few days, everything is forgotten even as the media and governments move on to the next big crisis be it over an internal revolt over disinvestment or some other natural or man-made calamity.

The point is that nothing seems to be done to counter the terror factories of Pakistan. Indeed, even as we write these lines, the jehadis might be plotting their next move, trying to kill completely innocent men, women and children in the name of Islam in some part of this country.

And the guardians of the Indian State in a most cynical display of paralysis of will would be twiddling their thumbs, plotting their own little conspiracies to prolong their lien on power by underhand means be it through unilateral caste reservations or the sack of an eminent cardiologistadministrator from the premier research and referral medical hospital. We, the ordinary people, it would seem, are condemned to pay for the follies of our rulers.

Having said that let us spell out yet again the barest minimum that ought to be done to blunt the challenge the rogue regime in Islamabad poses to the prevalence of peace in our country. To begin with, when it comes to terror, let politicians stop playing the blame-game. They can be partisan in all other matters but not while fighting terror. L.K. Advani?s initial reaction to the Mumbai serial blasts was cynical.

For someone who as the Home Minister had not acquitted himself well in the fight against jehadis to accuse the Government of failure smacked of sheer hypocrisy. He would have carried conviction before his party wielded power in New Delhi. Not after that six-year lacklustre Congress-like rule by the NDA. In short, a bipartisan approach in fighting terror alone can convince the agents of death and gore that India?s resolve in eliminating their threat is unshakable and unshaken.

Two, do not mistake the fight against terror with an assault on the Muslim minority. While not every Indian Muslim is a terrorist but every terrorist is indeed a Muslim. The local agents and collaborators of the ISI outfits are invariably Muslims. So every time the authorities haul up terrorist suspects do not rise in their defence in the mistaken belief that you are serving some higher principles of justice and equity.

No, you may be only providing succour to the anti-nationals. It is instructive to recall the reaction of secularist politicians when a few years ago the NDA Government banned the Students? Islamic Movement of India. From the Congress Party to the Samajwadi Party everyone expressed sympathy for SIMI despite concrete evidence of its anti-national activities.

In fact, the muted reaction of secular leaders whenever jehadis attack India is most insulting to a majority of Indian Muslims. It implies that the entire community harbours sympathy for the terrorists. It is churlish of `akhbari? leaders like Sitaram Yechury to be more concerned about the benefit that might accrue to the BJP from attacks like the one in Mumbai two days ago than to be bothered about ensuring that the UPA Government takes concrete steps to switch off the tap of Pak terror. Such myopic leadership cannot counter terror, for sure. And ought to be consigned to its natural habitat in the dustbin of history.

Further, and most important, empower the police and intelligence agencies. Give them what it takes to penetrate various terrorist modules in Aurangabad and Nasik, in Mumbai and Lucknow, Delhi and Sringar. Learn from the British experience in fighting the IRA. Or from the Israeli experience in fighting the combined might of the petro dollars and religious fundamentalism.

Unless you do what it takes to fight terror, we have no doubt innocent citizens in Mumbai and Srinagar or elsewhere in the country would continue to fall prey to the mayhem of the jehadis. Of course, the first step in the fight against terror is the expression of unity across the entire political spectrum. Fight it you must. And fight it within the four walls of the statute.

But wherever the statute is found wanting, or is exploited by terrorists for their own benefit, change it to make the task of the police and other agencies that much easier. Deleting POTA was a huge mistake. No quarter ought to be shown to the enemies of the Indian people. Period.

Article from www.samachar.com