The Threat Of Terrorism
Is there no end to Terrorism ?
People all over the world have been at the receiving end since the past 3 or 4 decades with governments trying their level best to cope with the menace of terrorism which only seems to grow bigger and their network constantly spreading across the globe. We hear of terror attack all the time, even going to the extent of beheading two soldiers in Britain apparently in the name of God and Religion ! It is sickening and seems to have no end. Almost all major countries in the world have experienced this menace.
Whatever measures that have been collectively taken by the governments of different countries seems to be too less because of the enormity of the problem and also certain other complex issues which are interlinked to terrorism.
India and terrorism
India has faced the problem of terrorism since the time it gained its independence. The Partition itself led to a lot of violence when nearly a hundred thousand people lost their lives. This was the beginning of religious wars and enemity which only escalated with time. The partition brought in innumerable problems to both the countries more so to India since by and large it has been a peaceful country .
In fact, people still live with the shadow of that past terror since things have never been right between the two countries. Many lives have been lost on both the sides because of failed policies and a lack of political will by the successive rulers from both sides , so there seems to be no progress in peace talks until now. T
he Kashmir issue which was left unfinished by the British rulers has been causing enough tension to India. This has proved to be one of the worst nightmares for India. Pakistan has demanded that Kashmir should be handed over to them, solely because it has a population of majority Muslims. There have been several wars fought over the past years. With the kind of attitude Pakistan takes and the help they give to terrorists ( who call themselves freedom fighters ), there can be little hope for any peaceful settlement?
Now we see a new form of organised terrorism taking place not only in India and in fact all over the world. One can associate most of these terror attacks to certain countries which encourage and support terrorism by letting the terror groups thrive and grow on their own soil. Certain governments have actively backed terror outfits and some others have shown sympathy to their cause ? by funding them and providing other support.
In India the problem has only escalated because our politicians are happy to take advantage of a situation when there is tension between religious groups . In all fairness, majority of the Muslims living in India are against these terror attacks and condemn it openly. They also feel bad about the effect it has on their religion, bringing it a bad name.
The complexities of the issue
There are other issues that automatically get involved or entangled with terrorism, namely personal feelings and also personal gain and sometimes helplessness.
1,When we see at a governmental level, many instances can be quoted where hard core terrorists have been let off from prison because they blackmailed the government by kidnapping some politician’s relative or hijacking a plane full of passengers. The government pleads helplessness and gives in to the demands and we see the terror outfit becoming stronger and also becoming aware of governments weakness and weak spots.
2, Secondly, there are some people who for reasons of their own help the terrorists by giving them information and other help, so that the terrorists can begin their terror operations in India or any other country freely and I am of the opinion that some politicians and bureaucrats are also actively involved here regardless of what religious beliefs they follow for personal gains like money and power . Because, when we analyse the issue minutely we can see that it is impossible for the terrorists to carry out their operations without some inside help.
3, India has been suffering from the misdeeds of the partition , which was done by the British before they left India and then later it has become a country that is being steadily looted by its political classes for their own gains. In the mean time the anti social elements have made a headway and have been calling the shots. Here again we see how the past is playing a role in making the country unsafe for its citizens.
Terror attacks and related issues
The past few years have seen the worst kind of terror attacks in India in quick successions and one can only blame the government and its lax policies for this. They have concentrated on their vote bank politics and thereby not wanting to make the minorities unhappy by not taking any concrete steps to eradicate terrorism .The Mumbai blasts are an example of how easy it was for them to carry loads of ammunition on a busy Mumbai street and place it inside the Tajmahal Hotel with absolutely no intervention and start their operations of seizing the Hotel along with 3 others. Even after this the politicians delayed to begin the Commando operations by nearly 9 hours, because nothing was in readiness, and, this after having repeated bomb blasts across the country and being warned about it.
When any government shows such an irresponsible attitude it is little wonder that terrorists are thriving and intensifying their activities.
The only reliable work has been done by the army which has been losing personnel but so far has been successfully suppressing the militant and terror activities in Kashmir to a great extent. Today, we feel proud that a fair election is being conducted across Jammu and Kashmir with an amazing voter turnout. It shows that people in that region are fed up of terror and Jihadi terrorists who have created havoc with their lives , now want a peaceful well regulated life under a democratically elected government. Even the terrorist groups that thrive there with help from across the border are trying out different tactics like making a show of being people friendly.
How to tackle terrorism
There is definitely no ready solution for this problem and one can only keep trying . However we can surely say that there is an urgent and great need for very strict laws which deter the terrorists. There should be no mercy shown to them at any cost and the police forces should be given better quality of weapons and protective gadgets. It is also necessary to cut down the number of commando protections given to the pampered political class and instead use it to take care of the masses. I was reading about the lack of facilities for our armed forces who lay their life down for the nation. Isn’t their life as precious or even more precious than the spineless politicians that rule our country?
Unless the government goes about methodically crushing down terror outfits and also make sure that those caught are given swift punishment, nothing much can be achieved. We can see that successful manner in which the USA has tackled the terror problem. They had one major attack and all the leaders were united in their opinion that the guilty needs to be punished no matter in which part of the world they had taken asylum and they have shown to the world that it is possible to do so. All that is required is patriotism and dedication towards one’s cause, which is sadly lacking among our political lot.
More importantly an educated and aware population is able to differentiate and understand what is good for them and what is not. Spread of education and values has a long way to go in building a healthy and strong nation that is able to withstand negative forces like terrorism. Lack of education and values is one of the main reason why an individual goes astray and gets drwan to terror outfits.
Media
There is an awareness now among all people across the country, for which we need to thank the news media. They have been highlighting all the flaws within the system and thankfully it has led to mass awareness although what is really needed is an attitude change when people forget only about themselves and stand for their rights as a group. Media however is doing the best it can under the circumstances, although even there because of the political interference we do see some misinformation or lack of information when there is censoring by the governmental authorities especially when one of their own kind is involved.
However the good news is that there is some positive change and it will not be easy now for the terrorists to kill innocent people as and when they want. They will of course look for newer ways and opportunities, but, at last India to some extent is united in fighting terror thanks to the media. At the same time we have to strengthen our relationship with the other neighboring countries with regard to trade and other cross border issues...
Conclusions
Some nations in the Arabian gulf openly give shelter to some of the most dreaded terrorists in the world like Dawood Ibrahim and many other terrorists who left India after they failed to destabilise it . Once all the countries join together and condemn such acts things are bound to become difficult for the terror groups..
Communication and dialogue to may help to a certain extent although with criminal minded terrorists who have absolutely no moral values nor any conviction such a thing may not work beacuse they are at best mis guided missiles out to cause terror and damage to the humanity in general.
Terrorism cannot be eradicated completely since man has cruelty in him/her. Some people are extremely cruel and believe in expressing their hurt and anger only by inflicting violence on others. But, with effective measures taken by the authorities, terrorism can be curbed to a great extent . It could be achieved even more successfully when all the nations join together and keep the terrorists out instead of giving shelter to them and help them carry on their operations on their soil.
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