The Continuing Carnage

The year 2009 passed away with no major terrorist carnage in the Indian hinterland. Thus, it would be pertinent to surmise that the terror merchants, masterminded by Pakistan’s notorious ISI in concert with its protégés, the Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, the Afghani Taliban, among the many terror groups would have been working overtime to relaunch their barbaric acts with renewed ferocity both within India and against Indian developmental assets in Afghanistan.

It is pretty evident that the spate of recent violence and regular stone-pelting in the Valley by separatists elements on orders from their masters across the line of control, the gruesome targeting of innocent foreigners and tourists in the otherwise peaceful city of Pune and now the deliberate targeting and murder of many Indian medical and other civil personnel on humanitarian and developmental duties in Kabul are all part of Pakistan’s well orchestrated strategy to pressurise India to resume the Composite Dialogue Process and to reduce its reconstruction and other civil assistance activities in neighbouring Afghanistan which Pakistan believes, is its birthright to dominate, in pursuit of its outdated ‘strategic depth’ strategies.

It is thus amazing that the otherwise soft-spoken Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, a few days back in New Delhi, at the Indo-Pak Foreign Secretaries Conference vented his ire at the Indian media stating that “Pakistan does not need lecturing by India on terrorism”. Either the ‘democratic government’ of Pakistan is selectively oblivious of the persistent evil activities of the ISI against India, or Pakistan on US pressure (maybe on India too) wishes to carry on a charade of engaging in meaningless talks for solving certain ‘core issues’ when, in reality, the sole core issue to bring peace and stability to this region is the issue of terrorism. It is also certain that some in the Pakistani establishment must be mocking at the continued Indian patience vis-à-vis Pakistan’s unrelenting barbarism directed against innocents.

It is possible that these figures of the Pakistan establishment have underestimated Indian resilience and its myriad inner strengths and have forgotten the history and geography of the sub-continent since the departure of the British from this region. Come what may, the Government of India has to send a clear and firm message to Pakistan on the need for Pakistan to desist from acts of terror and ‘look inwards’ to stabilise itself before the extremists and fundamentalist rogues, including now some from the Pakistan Army, take over a nuclear armed Pakistan itself –not so remote a scenario and Pakistan thence becomes a region where not only any civilised society or the Americans but even angels fear to tread! 

Going by current portents since the beginning of this year, the flurry of activity amongst the terror chieftains in Pakistan and their unbridled public utterances against the Indian state boasting of many Mumbai-like terror strikes to follow, 2010 appears to be the year when India will have to button-up its security, in all its nuances, as never before. With India hosting a large number of international events this year and the terror merchants having already announced their grotesque agenda of violent interference during their conduct, security and prophylactic preparedness will have to be of a high order. The Indian public and volunteer organisations must come forward to assist the government and various security agencies to thwart the perpetrators of violence and ultimately the good must prevail upon the evil. Major infrastructural assets, key economic industries, vital governmental and Armed Forces establishments have to now heighten their vigilance as never before. Inculcating security consciousness as part and parcel of our lives and improvements in our security architecture will pay us in the long run. Indian missions abroad also need to coordinate their security and especially in Afghanistan, the government in cooperation with the Kabul administration may wish to send additional Indian para military personnel to suitably guard our personnel and assets in Afghanistan. The Indian establishment in Afghanistan has borne valiantly three major attacks on them by the ISI funded Haqqani terrorists in the last two years and many more should be expected from the Afghani Taliban and certain Al Qaida elements. Our security establishments must ensure reasonable security for all Indians who are doing their nation’s bidding in Afghanistan, a nation which since centuries, has not only had close relations with India but even now, we command a lot of respect there among the general public.

It will be wishful thinking on our part to expect the Americans to influence Pakistan to stop using terror as an extension of their state policies. The US is in a bind itself as nearly 80 per cent of its logistics for the International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan is dependent on the overland routes from Pakistan. The Americans are, after all, are far more hated in Pakistan than even India! Thus Pakistan continues with its ‘cat and mouse’ game with the US despite its financial and military sustenance being primarily dependent on the US. It is pertinent to point out here that, perhaps, the US has sent a wrong signal to all the jehadi elements including the Al Qaida and the terror groups of all hues in Af-Pak region by setting out an impossible time-table of its withdrawal from Afghanistan by mid-2012. This hasty withdrawal plan (which likely may never be implemented) has only emboldened the terror elements and Pakistan to continue with their nefarious activities unabated.

India, being a responsible and major power in this region, understandably must never get provoked by terrorist acts perpetrated by Pakistan or the so called non-state actors being harboured by it. Stabilising South Asia has to be an essential ingredient of our policies and Pakistan terrorists must never be allowed to hijack our agenda for peace in this region. Nevertheless, adequate preparedness and contingency planning for the exercise of all options will only be prudent on our part. We are living in troubled times in a volatile neighbourhood and we thus have to remain geared for all eventualities if the need arises.

(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the views either of the Editorial Committee or the Centre for Land Warfare Studies).