Terrorists love a soft state --Jogindersingh-The Pioneer-3.10.11

 The Congress-led UPA regime has neither the courage nor the conviction to confront terrorists who kill civilians in cold blood.

Addressing State police chiefs and Intelligence-officials on September 15, Union Minister for Home Affairs P Chidambaram confessed that the two recent terrorist bombings in Mumbai and Delhi were a “blot“ on the Government's record.
He also mentioned that there are three Pakistan-based groups -Lashkar-eTayyeba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen -that continue to target India. Mr Chidambaram added that apart from these groups, “there are Indian modules too. They seem to have the capacity to attract radicalised youth. Some modules are loosely knit under an organisation called Indian Mujahideen. Many former cadre of the banned SIMI have morphed into Indian Mujahideen cadre.“

At the same event Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: “There are reports of a large number of terrorists waiting in camps across the line of control and attempts to infiltrate into Jammu & Kashmir are increasing... Cross-border terrorism training centres are being reactivated...
The national security situation continues to be uncertain. Recent terror attacks in Mumbai (July 13) and Delhi (September 7) are a grave reminder of the challenge posed by terrorists to our nation's security.“

Mr Singh also observed that Left-wing extremism had claimed the lives of many civilians and policemen.

After every major terror attack, the Government's standard reaction is to call a conference of either concerned officials or Chief Ministers or State Home Ministers.
Here, the leaders either sermonise or lament or engage in breast-beating. Another stock response is to offer negotiation or advise the police to remain vigilant. Yet, never has any agency been told by the Government to crush the perpetrators of terror with all the might of the state.

Citizens of our country, including those in the security forces, believe that we are a soft state that has failed to protect its people against cross-border and home-grown terrorism and similar threats emanating from the Maoists. Thanks to vote-bank politics and the indecisiveness of our political leadership, there are no laws to crush terrorism or related crimes. Hence, time and again our security forces have become victims of the apathy of our political leadership.

All this is done under the false pretense that we are a secular country. But aren't countries like the USA, the UK and others in Europe that have succeeded in fending off terror attacks not secular? For these countries, national security comes first. They have discarded all antiquated laws which came in the way of fighting terror.

Our Government, on the hand, has been passive in its approach to fighting terrorism.
Otherwise, why should convicted terrorists be fed and kept alive at the cost of the state?
India's leaders need to ask themselves who they wish to show such leniency and to whom they should prove that they are capable of sternly dealing with terrorism.

It is worthwhile to recall what the then Governor of Bombay, Sir John Malcolm, had observed in 1830: “With the extension of new laws, it had become very difficult to establish a system of good policing. The people for whom these laws were framed came from different backgrounds, charac ters and habits and they did not easily adopt themselves to the new liberal laws... The task of seizing the most notorious criminal is easy compared to that of proving their guilt, according to the principles and the forms of our courts of justice. There is seldom that full evidence they require, and the consequence is the annual discharge of well known plunderers to recommence their career of guilt and to take ample vengeance on those whom they suspect of having aided in their apprehension. ” Sir John Malcolm made this observation at a time when neither terrorism nor Maoism existed. Hence, he was referring to other crimes such as dacoities, robberies and thefts.

The Union Government is so laidback in its approach to terrorism that it has been sitting for years together on the proposal of the Home Ministry to set up a National

Counter-Terrorism Centre. When Mr Chidambaram had proposed an all-out effort to wipe out the Maoists by using all the resources at the command of the Government, including the Army and Air Force, he was given only a “limited mandate“.
When the media asked him what a limited mandate meant, Mr Chidambaram replied that the question should be referred to those in the Union Cabinet who had decided on the matter.

Yet, the Prime Minister never loses an opportunity to plead that there should no harassment of anyone from the minority community during any form of police action. Questioning people is routine procedure while investigating terror-related incidents -not only in India but all over the world. But Mr Singh apparently believes otherwise. Obviously, Mr Singh thinks that Muslims will feel offended by pre-emptive and routine police actions against terrorism.

The Prime Minister’s perception cannot be totally disconnected from vote-bank politics. After all, every action of politicians all over the world is directed towards garnering the maximum number of votes.

It is not that investigating agencies are is targetting any particular community. It is because, whether we like it not, terrorism is often facilitated by local networks that Muslims are investigated in the aftermath of such attacks. This has been admitted by Mr Chidambaram. The Prime Minister, however, has forgotten his own sermon that terrorists have no religion and on account of being anti-nationals deserve no mercy.

Terrorism, whether it is perpetrated by Maoists or jihadis, is a means to demand the impossible at gun-point.

Unfortunately, the Government seems to have no political will or policy to deal with such elements. The standard response is to either offer talks or use of force but this doesnt make sense. For instance, when the Prime Minister visited Jammu & Kashmir no extremists offered to meet him. The same is true for Maoists who have been killing security forces and civilians. Yet, there is no indication of any firm resolve on the part of the political class to break the Maoists’ back.

America has brought about the Patriot Act whose first priority is to tackle terrorism. India can forget about such a law as our Union Government has passed the buck to State Governments on the ground that law and order is their responsibility. In the aftermath of a terror attack, the usual response of the Union Government is to issue a condemnatory statement, call a meeting of the State Police chiefs, sermonise them on the need to be vigilant, set up a committee or committees and forget about the issue till the next incident happens. This approach has made the Government into a laughing stock, not only in the eyes of the terrorists but also the people of India. Brave speeches are no substitute for bullet-for-bullet policy.

In a situation where individuals and groups are seeking to overthrow a Government established by law, there is no remedy except to use decisive force against them. The Government should reconcile itself to this reality and go after terrorists of all hues with the full force of the state.

(The accompanying visual shows family members’ of Delhi High Court blast victim mourning the death of a loved one before his body is taken away. PTI photo.)