New Delhi has understandably gone on high alert following terrorist attacks in New York and Washington DC and the crash of a hijacked plane near Pittsburgh. While the identity of those responsible has not yet been conclusively established, it is not difficult to make surmises. And the first name that comes to the mind is that of the Saudi Arabian terrorist Osama bin Laden.
Since Osama is believed to be in Afghanistan and is an accomplice in Pakistan's cross-border terrorism against India-a victim of terrorist attacks for more than two decades-it would be foolish for New Delhi to take chances. While, however, it is imperative to be on the alert and beef up security, the wider target must be wiping out terrorism and its practitioners. Identifying the enemy is the first requirement. This is hardly a difficult task. It is no secret that cross-border terrorism is the work of fundamentalist Islamic terrorist outfits like the Lashkar-e-Toiba, Harkatul Mujaheedin, Hizbul Mujaheedin, Jaish-e-Mohammad and a host of smaller organisations, based in Pakistan, and trained, armed and financed by Pakistan's notorious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The ISI, which operates with impunity in Nepal and Bangladesh, has set up an extensive network of modules and agents throughout India. It is imperative to take firm action against not only foreign mercenaries but the ISI's local agents. This underlines the second requirement-a national will to fight terrorism. In a democracy, this means giving the matter the highest priority in the national agenda by all political parties and refusal to allow partisan considerations to interfere with the fight against terrorism. There should, for example, be a consensus that the security forces have every right to enter places of worship, to whichever community these may belong, and engage terrorists using them as shelters and arsenals. Equally, vote bank politics must not come in the way of closing down those madarsas which have become centres of sedition and anti-national activities.
Along with all this, efforts to
persuade the governments of Nepal and Bangladesh to curb ISI activities
on their soil, must be stepped up. The talks Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh
had during his recent visit to Nepal, have been cordial and useful. The
problem, however, lies in the fact that Nepal is a soft state. The same
applies to Bangladesh where there was a large gap between the tough anti-terrorist
pronouncements of the Awami League Government, headed by Sheikh Hasina,
and action on the ground. Besides, the convulsions in Nepal following the
assassination of the late King Birendra and members of his direct family
in June, and the interregnum in Bangladesh where a caretaker government
is in charge until the general elections on October 1, make things difficult.
This means that India needs to redouble its vigil along its porous borders
with both countries while coming down hard on subversive elements at home.
Among other things, this will require strong anti-terrorist legislation.
The Government must act fast to enact a law to take the place of the Terrorist
and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act which has lapsed-ignoring with
contempt such protests as may be lodged by local human rights mercenaries.