Tide of Islamic militancy is bound to fragment India

Asif Haroon Raja

Spilling of blood of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan is a sport of entertainment played by blood thirsty Americans duly joined by other non-Muslim nations. Blood sport becomes all the more pleasurable when competitors are Muslims locked in mortal combat. Deaths of 1.5 million have still not quenched their thirst and they want more. USA has inflamed the region to keep its homeland safe. India has helped USA in shifting part of militancy from Afghanistan into Pakistan. 

Much to the jubilation of India, flames of war on terror lit by USA have engulfed greater part of Pakistan. While the military has demonstrated its resolve and ability to catch the bull by its horns, the police which have fought terrorists valiantly and suffered huge casualties need to streamline its drills, enhance its firepower, mobility and its staying power at police stations and check posts. We have seen how easily militants raided and ransacked these places. Paramilitary forces also require radical re-hauling to be able to take on frontline duties from the army which should essentially remain focused towards its primary role of defending borders against external enemies.

One may understand silent and undetected movement of a lone suicide bomber managing to approach his target; but unchecked movement of a vehicle stashed with tons of RDX explosive within Red Zone and during high alert is incomprehensible and inexcusable. Suicide attacks on Islamabad Marriott Hotel, and Peshawar PC Hotel occurred due to security lapse.

There is a dire need to make the people aware of nature of threats and their collective responsibility to help the state in defeating terrorism. An awareness drive should be jointly launched at national level by Ministry of Information and ISPR, duly padded with motivational nodes to inculcate spirit of patriotism and nationalism and to bolster their spirits. An urge for vigilance and fight back should be instilled. Recent example of Upper Dir where locals defied militants may be quoted for emulation to beat back tide of militancy.  This is essential since ongoing battle will not end in weeks but would take considerable length of time.   

I had seen Bawab (chowkidar) system working efficiently in Cairo. Each multi-storied building has a day and night chowkidar on duty. It is his responsibility to watch and maintain a log book on every person coming out of or entering into the building as well as the visiting vehicle. He acts as eyes and ears of multi-layered security agencies. Any crime taking place is traced within days. Security system was revolutionized after assassination of President Anwar Sadaat at the hands of Ikhwanul Muslimoon.  Village guard system was introduced by Israel in 1980s to ward off Fadayeen attacks. We also require taking some extra precautionary measures to put in place an effective watch and ward system. Creation of village guards and special anti-terror police force in Punjab and in NWFP are steps in right direction.

Good intelligence helps in minimizing casualties, in pre-empting and averting disaster and contributing towards success of a battle. Ongoing threat of militancy has become all-pervasive; enemy is faceless but determined to draw blood. It demands refurbishment of our intelligence agencies in a big way. Ordinary and routine methods mostly confined to witch hunting should be replaced with robust and practical system and tuned to threat from within aided by external enemies.     

In the wake of Mumbai attacks, Indian government issued a pager giving policy guideline to media in terms of dos and don'ts. Indian media faithfully implemented it in letter and spirit in best national interest. In Pakistan, under fallacious misconception of freedom of media and bragging about this great achievement, our policy makers didn't realize that private channels would be hijacked by foreign powers and vested groups. Pseudo intellectuals and paid journalists assiduously promote tutored themes, add strength to western propaganda aimed at exerting pressure on government, create misgivings and despondency, draw cleavages within groups/communities, and defame democratic institutions, army and ISI. Now that the nation has got united to tackle militancy and army is making huge sacrifices, the ones indulging in yellow journalism to spread gloom and doom and promoting foreign agenda must be dealt with firmly. Poison of pen is more poisonous than that of a sword.

Capture of RAW agents and foreign nationals, and American, Russian, Israeli and Indian made weapons and equipment from restive areas gives an irrefutable evidence of involvement of foreign agencies in supporting insurgency in Pakistan. Drone attacks and hostile media war are part of sinister scheme. Pakistan has a fit case to approach UN that it is subjected to international conspiracy to dismember it. Indian destructive role must be exposed and resumption of composite dialogue made conditional to written commitment by India that it would never use Indian or neighbor's soil for launching covert operations against Pakistan.   

Weapon of deterrence is usually needed by a weaker nation when its militarily more powerful neighbor poses an existential threat. While former strives to avoid a war, latter seeks excuses to wage a war. Strategy of pre-emption provides a ready-made excuse to a bigger military power to wage a war against a weaker state on mostly a trumped up charge. Given Indian evil designs, it becomes an utmost necessity for Pakistan to rely on its nuclear strength particularly when India is shopping latest art-of-weapons from USA and Israel to widen conventional arms gulf and trying to offset our nuclear deterrence.

India has fomented trouble in Pakistan for achieving its ulterior objectives not realizing that militancy is like a flowing water or fire in a dense jungle which keeps spreading in all directions. Since India is geographically attached with Pakistan, it is matter of time when flood water would enter into Indian Territory. India provides a lucrative ground for militants of all hues to prowl in and get adjusted in the deep pool of poverty, illiteracy, extremism, terrorism, caste prejudices, rich and poor divide and deprivations of all Indian minorities. They would have no difficulty in getting linked up with Naxalites comprising landless peasants, laborers and other oppressed classes, having strong influence in 155 districts of 17 states of India.

India is an ethnic museum where 16 major languages are spoken and there are 1652 dialects. Minorities in India including hundreds of Hindu scheduled castes who make 80% of total population are suffering from acute oppression at the hands of Brahmans. Dozens of insurgencies and separatist movements are raging with full intensity. It provides fertile soil for militancy to flourish and rock the Indian boat hinging on comical and farcical secularism. 28 states are kept together through an unnatural union and by force.

Tide of Islamic militancy including spate of suicide attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan is bound to find its way into India particularly when the US troops depart from this region. Pakistan has borne the brunt of terrorism courageously since it has gone through several bouts in the past and there has never been a clash of ideology between insurgents and the state. Case of India is quite different where intolerant and cold-blooded Hindu fundamentalists led by BJP are desperate to impose Hindutva. India is devoid of inner strength and resilience to sustain fire of Islamic militancy. Terrorist attacks on Indian parliament and in Mumbai are two living examples when the whole nation got paralyzed and overwhelmed with fear psychosis. In order to get out of fit of paralysis, Indian leadership had to generate media hype and carryout troop mobilization. Indian leadership has still not recovered from the shock of Mumbai carnage.. Had India suffered half of suicide attacks than what Pakistan went through, it would have collapsed by now. Tide of Islamic militancy together with Maoist movement would bring down ruling Brahmans and fragment India into small quasi states in not too distant a future.