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Tackling terror : Sub-continental failure |
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B.I. Saini
Last week’s developments - storming of the Lal Masjid in Islamabad by security forces and establishment of a clear link between some elements in Bangalore and the foiled Glasgow terror attack in Britain - have brought home the failure of leading countries in the Indian sub-continent to tackle global terrorism.
The roots of Pakistan’s failure in dealing effectively with terrorist elements lie in its ambivalent approach to the problem. While for the record, Islamabad has been claiming to act against foreign-based terrorist networks like the Al Qaeda and the Taliban, it has been pushing under the carpet the links between the global terrorist outfits and those operating with its encouragement, active or passive, in Kashmir like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. Not to speak of taking effective action against terrorist outfits, Pakistan has not been averse to using terror as an instrument of State policy to put pressure on India. There are well-documented records of Pakistan’s ISI promoting terrorism not only in Kashmir, but also in other parts of India. It has been widening its network in India’s neighbouring countries to push in terrorists and arms and ammunition for its operatives in India.
Despite Pakistan President Prevez Musharraf promising to former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that Pakistani territory or areas under Islamabad’s control would not be allowed to be used for terrorist strikes against India, there is no evidence on the ground that terrorist elements working against India have been put down in Pakistan with a strong hand. Terrorist training camps continue to operate in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir with impunity without any fear of deterrent action by Islamabad.
The kid-glove treatment of terrorist elements has now endangered the very existence of the Musharraf regime in Pakistan. When the terrorist tide appeared to be engulfing the military-dominated government, it has acted to storm the Lal Masjid to end its misuse for training terrorist operatives. There are also reports that a number of foreign terrorists belonging perhaps to organisations like the Al Qaeda, had taken shelter in the Lal Masjid. But the storming of the Masjid may not be the end of the story as terrorist outfits are threatening to intensify their strikes. Saturday’s suicide bomb attack on troops, in which 18 soldiers were killed, in the lawless tribal areas on the border with Afghanistan is a clear signal of what is in the offing in Pakistan.
So far as India is concerned, it has been blaming outfits with Pakistan linkages for terrorist strikes in the country. There is no doubt that Pakistan has not turned off the terrorism tap despite its promise. But New Delhi cannot just sit back and blame Pakistan for terrorist strikes in the country. More pro-active action is needed to tackle, if not end, the activities of terrorist elements. A couple of years back, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had claimed with pride that no Indian was associated with terrorist outfits like the Al Qaeda. The linkages established between the foiled terrorist strikes in Britain and doctors and others from Bangalore, who had gone to Britain and Australia, among other countries, in the course of their work, have dented this claim. The UPA Government has repealed the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), perhaps justifiably because of the potential for its misuse. At the time when POTA was repealed, the Government said other laws would be used to put down terrorist elements. The continuing terror strikes in various parts of the country indicate that the Government has not been completely successful in its objective. Of course, it is not possible in any country to curb the activities of desperate elements, but nonetheless, a more pro-active approach is needed to put down terrorist activities.
Both the Centre and the state governments concerned have been amiss in tackling the depredations of Maoist elements and organisations like ULFA. Of course, the Maoists as well as ULFA get the support of some foreign elements, probably promoted by Pakistan’s ISI. As part of its strategy of ‘encircling’ India, the ISI has been providing covert support to insurgents in various parts of the country.
The Centre as well as the State governments need to be more serious in tackling the menace of terrorism, both in its external and internal manifestations.
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