The macabre dance of death being orchestrated by the terror groups continues to put a question mark on the policies and strategy of the government in dealing with such a potent and faceless enemy.
Terrorism is not new word anymore on this planet. The difference is the extent of victory it's getting across the globe. In Europe and America impassable wall of defenses have been made. Countries like Australia and New Zealand have implemented mechanisms to pre-empt and defeat terrorism.
In our country day by day it is gaining strength. As till date no anti terror mechanism is established in the center and in the states. In a worrying estimation it has been found that India loses more people in terror attacks than any other country in the world.
Samjhauta, Mecca Masjid, Lumbini Park, Ajmer Dargah, Bombay blasts, hyderabad, Bangalore and now Ahemdabad the list goes on. It is common knowledge that terrorists are responsible for these strikes but beyond that there are no clear answers. In case of each of these attacks, what comes under the scanner is India's security apparatus to act as an effective preventative mechanism.
On the other hand terror networks are better organized and have in the past two or three years managed to penetrate even the smaller towns in India. Blasts are no longer limited to crowded markets in Metros and smaller towns, which also supply operatives and logistics.We have to accept that India is a major target. The terrorists are very committed and thus it is very difficult to penetrate their modules, difficult to build sources, it takes a long time.
Anti-terrorism laws in India have always been a butt of controversy, as also in the United States and Britain. But in India, the leaders of our democratic set-up tend to hijack the debate over anti-terror laws and use it as a political tool to fill the vote banks. TADA has become a Political fascination and POTA complete Vote banks' victim. POTA law is facing criticism from human rights groups. The questions of terror laws are still to be formulated.
The government representatives has one and only statement to make "we will deal with the anti-national forces firmly." While one does not question the bona fides of the government, but many wonder if it would actually be able to translate it into action any time soon. This is because the people of India have time and again been witness to these ghastly acts. Bangalore and Ahmedabad has given us yet another reason to ponder over our collective response to the menace of terrorism, manifested most sensationally by the serial blasts.
It is high time we Indians got into a structured debate to craft our response. The crackdown is possible? Non-politicians have to come together. Or we will keep seeing the sketches of the suspects after the attacks.
Mere knee-jerk reactions and unworkable intelligence inputs won't do either.What might work is a more cohesive, all-inclusive approach towards tacking terror.
Are our security agencies capable enough to deliver when it matters the most? The Kargil war is a bitter lesson when the entire intelligence system faltered to notice the intrusion inside the Indian border in Jammu and Kashmir.
Naxalism has been threatening internal security in the country. More than ten states are in the grip of this red extremism. Every year, hundreds fall victim to Maoists. Neglecting these incidents, the government has not yet formulated policy to counter this. And most of all, the government is not ready to identify it as a problem.
Internal security apart, India is resisting cross border terrorism.But the façade of jihad is now being broken as terrorists are not sparing any religious place. And the fact that innocent people are killed in the blasts targeted at religious and public places undermines the religious overtones of terrorism. With every blast, the notion that India has become a soft target for terror groups gains currency.A proper anti-terror strategy aimed at weeding it out from the roots by neglecting the parochial political gains is required.
Terrorism is expanding to ever-new areas, which nobody even ever dreamt of being victimized by such incidents. Our successive governments never considered that protecting common citizens is among its duties. The investigations of most of the previous blasts are still not completed. But, for us Indians, these have become a part of life.
The virtue of tolerance is indeed much in us "Indians". Why can’t we ask the government and the opposition?
This problem can be solved only by going back to the basics of democracy - you get what you voted for! If you vote for one who promises inaction, then you will have terrorism, if you vote for one who promises security, you will have security.
If everyone in politics knows that we value our lives, all of them will fight terrorism.
The countrymen have to stand up and assert that we all value and love our lives. Everybody will respect basic right.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the next time you vote, think for whom you are voting! Life is our first priority, rest comes later on.......