Mumbai 7/11: A Myth Called Internal Security

The Nation is outraged once again at the terror strikes that hit Srinagar and Mumbai. Six grenade attacks in Kashmir and the seven high-grade explosions in the financial capital have left the country stunned. The 175-odd dead and hundreds injured were a cruel reminder that we are at war against terror and Islamic fundamentalism. Once again it seems that our intelligence agencies and counter-intelligence have failed to stop terror atrocities against our citizens. The attacks have once again exposed the lackluster job being carried out at the Home Ministry and its measures to contain terrorism. It has not even been a year since the devastating Delhi blasts, which brought terror, back to the national capital. This time it is Mumbai, which has come to face with this outrage.

Terror is nothing new in India, however, the ease with which terror outfits are planning and executing strikes is alarming. Increasingly, it seems that sleeper cells are active in the country and they are awaiting a signal from across the border to carry out bombings and explosions as and when they feel like it. The very fact that the terrorists could go ahead with their plans after Mumbai was virtually submerged in the aftermath of the monsoon rains shows the meticulate planning and determination of the fundamentalists to meet their desired results. This fact also reflects very poorly on the Mumbai police and our state and federal intelligence agencies in their ability to contain such plotting and attacks.

There have been media reports that the banned radical group Students of the Islamic Movement in India (SIMI) are regrouping and planning terror strikes seems to have fallen on deaf ears to the powers that be. It is likely that terrorist groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish and Hizbul Mujahideen are relying on the SIMI activists to help in execution of their terror designs. So, before the government launches on a diatribe of attacks against cross border terror, it is important for them to introspect on whether local support is the key element in carrying out terror atrocities.

The world is currently engaged in a global War against Terror. India has been an affected party to terror for years; in fact, even before the term War against Terror was coined. However, when President Bush or other world leaders talk about terror strikes they mention, 9/11, London, Madrid, Bali even Egypt, but never India. Why is it that India, which is at the receiving end of violent fundamentalism, is second rung while countries like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, known sponsors of terror, are ‘frontline’ allies on the War against Terror? How much is the Indian government to be blamed for this unenviable position? Our flip-flops on international affairs have left us few friends and many enemies. We hardened ties with Israel for the Palestinian cause, and then voted against Iran, only to lose their trust. What have such policies achieved? Are we any safer or better off with such moves?

The Congress and the UPA have followed the policy of appeasement to the hilt. Be it the appeasement of minority communities or giving legitimacy to the Maoists in Nepal, the results have been disastrous. On the insistence of the Left, the government had opened negotiations with the Maoists in Nepal, only to help them spread their network not only in Nepal but also in many parts of India as well. Similarly, a policy of minorityism, a charge that is ferociously laid out by the BJP, has backfired, giving rise to fundamentalist groups who are unafraid of the rule of law. These policies have made our country an easy target for terrorism of both forms – Islamic fundamentalism and the Naxal extremism.

Lastly, in this day and age of the electronic media, it was imperative on the prime minister to reassure the country and come on camera to let us know that the government is in charge. This was not to be, and all we got was a sound bite of the usual fluff that is thrown every time a terrorist group strikes. Let us not forget that it took one teenaged soldier in Israel to be captured, to bring the entire region to the brink of war. In India, 150 lives are not worth even piece to camera by the prime minister. This incident like scores others have outraged the nation, let us resolve, albeit in our naivety, to do our bit to ensure that never again. Never again.