Events & Issues

New Delhi, 11 August 2008

Detect, Deter & Destroy

 FIGHT TERROR LIKE WAR

By T.D. Jagadesan

It has been a bad and bloody July month for all of us. Four Indians, including a brigadier, a senior diplomat and two paramilitary jawans, were killed in a suicide attack on our embassy in Kabul. Around the same time, terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir struck against the Indian Army twice at the Line of Control (LoC) and there were several border violations.

Then came the blasts in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. Did anyone lose sleep over all this? Probably not. Clearly, this is cause for outrage because after the usual hand wringing, denunciations, compensations and pontification we return to life as usual.

We forget that terrorism has been with us for decades. But we have become numb to casualties which have been reduced to mere statistics. Lest we forget, the recent blasts are carefully planned acts of terror against soft targets. They are meant to spread fear and to provoke a reaction. They are meant to undermine the economy and to send a signal to India’s majority that their lives are not safe.

As yet, there is no evidence about who was responsible for these acts, though as usual various names are afloat. But the harsh truth is that we have brought this upon ourselves. Yes, we are the victims of terrorism from Pakistan. But instead of dealing with it single mindedly, we sought to appease, instead of strengthening our investigation and intelligence network.

People like Osama bin Laden claim that the West, led by the United States and Britain, are the “Crusaders” of the modern world who have occupied the “Holy Land”. They and their allies --- the Israelis, Indians and Russians --- must be thrown out. The worst offenders, they claim, are the “apostate” Muslim kingdoms and Governments in West Asia.

In his 1996 declaration of jihad against the US, Osama mentioned Kashmir and Assam as some of the places where there was injustice, repression and aggression by Christians, Jews and their agents. To achieve their goal, Osama and his kind justify alliance with the ungodly and the sinners.

Osama bin Laden has often cited Nagasaki and Hiroshima in his speeches and said that possession of weapons of mass destruction to counter the arms of the “infidels” is a religious duty. And to carry on with the jihad, it is best to recruit the young and the unattached in the age group of 15 to 25 years. In February 1998, Osama exhorted Muslims “to kill all Americans and their allies, civilians and military. It is the individual duty of every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible,” he emphasized for good measure.

This is not to suggest that all Muslims everywhere believe in this. But there are many in Pakistan today who believe in Osama. And that is why terrorists’ training camps in the hinterland and fulminations from the pulpit continue. In his Friday sermon on 11 July, Hafiz Saeed, known for his extreme views, urged Muslims to prepare themselves for sacrifices in order to defend Muslim lands, and to protect their “honour and dignity.”

Not only that. Extremists in Pakistan encouraged by the ISI, the Army and politicians, have long targeted India and not just Kashmir. This is very similar to what Osama preaches to his jihadis.

Jaipur, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and then Surat. These are warnings about the terrorists growing capability and ideology extending beyond Kashmir. They are dropping their visiting cards, with the message that more such attacks will take place. Needless to say, India now needs to make the call.

When terror struck America and Britain, they introduced draconian laws. The Bush Administration even introduced controversial surveillance laws. In India, we did away with the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), but did not consider it important to have an adequate substitute.

Battling terror is a long and arduous task: the capability to prevent attacks has to be upgraded constantly, with the knowledge and acceptance that not all attacks can be prevented. Even with our present system there are many attacks that get aborted.

But when intelligence is inadequate and follow ups incomplete, indiscriminate arrests follow which lead to further alienation.

In sum, heightened intelligence capability, sustained and built over a period of time, which is able to keep pace with the growing threat are the need of the hour. As also skillful investigation and forensics, particularly at the State level, sharing of intelligence, issuance of national identity cards, are all necessary; nay imperative.

India must get ready to detect, deter and destroy this menace before it destroys us. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)