Is India Prepared Enough To Fight A Full-Blown War Against Terrorism?

071125-N-6794Z-004Terrorism has been growing unabated the world over since the late 20th century. It has been used as a tool or weapon seldom by nation states but largely by ragtag terrorist outfits or ideologically-motivated groups of fighters against stable regimes in countries like Israel, India, USA and Russia. Of late, those who resort to terrorism call themselves freedom fighters or jihadists and are motivated by the ideological conviction of throwing occupation forces of colonial nations out of the lands that they claim belong to them by right.

They consider the USA their arch enemy and have been hitting and hurting the American interests and strategic assets practically all over the world, including the mainland US. Some of the terrorist outfits such as the Islamic State (IS) have, in a wide overreach of their unbridled ambition, declared the establishment of a Caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq. The IS dreams of expanding its suzerainty over the entire West Asian and Gulf areas as well as several European, African, Mediterranean and South Asian countries, including sizable parts of India.

In their operations, they adopt medieval and barbaric practices like committing brutal and indiscriminate killings, rape, slavery, destruction and desecration of places of worship of conflicting and minority religious groups. They also enforce fastidious religious edicts dating back to medieval ages on pain of excruciating death or incapacitation not only against opposing armies but amongst the civilian population of the enemy countries as well. They have already committed numerous war crimes against humanity like ethnic cleansing, genocide, cultural cleansing, etc. The brutal onslaught of their inhuman terror attack is still on in full swing.

War on Terror

The War on Terror declared by the then US President George W Bush in October 2001 following the devastating terror attacks on key targets in the US by Al Qaeda, for hounding out the Al Qaeda leaders and cadre and bringing the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan to an end, was drastically toned down and brought practically to a halt, after success was partially achieved, by President Barack Obama in 2013. President Obama acknowledged that it was more pragmatic and prudent to selectively carry out military attacks on selected targets of terrorists rather than fight a global war on Terror as a tactic.

The US and its allies are currently engaged in a fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. USA’s ally Pakistan has not, however, been fully committed in the fight against the Taliban and Al Qaeda and has been doing far from enough to restrain and control the assorted groups of terrorists much to the chagrin of the US. Separately, the US, along with its NATO and non-NATO allies, has been fighting a war in Iraq and Syria since 2013 against the IS in addition to a war against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russia has, in a show of defiance to the US dominance in the region, come out in support of President Assad and joined the fray by mounting intensive aerial attacks against IS in Syria, causing immense damage to the enemy.

Defence Preparedness

Defence preparedness must be a country’s topmost priority as it is critical for the very survival of any nation state. In this context, given India’s geographical location and the complex nature of its political relations with its neighbours, especially China and Pakistan, our country is required to be on the alert all the time. After attaining independence in 1947, India has already fought five bitter wars with Pakistan and China. While some were won by us, the others were either inconclusive or downright disastrous. None of the wars brought the nation prosperity or material gain. They were not intended to.

Those were wars that we had to fight at enormous costs to defend the country’s territory and save our nation’s honour. Besides, the armed forces have to be on the alert practically all the time, with barely any let-up, on account of the countless numbers of border incursions, indiscriminate shootings from across the frontier without provocation, military conflagrations, skirmishes, flare-ups and standoffs likely to degenerate into warlike situations. Thus, high defence preparedness is an inescapable deterrent not only in conventional warfare but also in the war against terrorism.

The current defence budget of our country is a whopping Rs 250,000 crore. Moreover, the BJP-led NDA government has been giving topmost priority for the modernization of the armed forces, equipping the forces with the most modern weapons and equipment, refurbishing the ageing fleets of fighter aircrafts and warships and tweaking the DRDO for indigenous defence production. Notwithstanding the fact that India is not a superpower with an inexhaustible supply of resources to spend on the protection of its territory and strategic assets as well as the lives and property of its citizens at enormous costs, our country has been making steady progress in its defence preparedness.

Pakistan and Terrorism

Dismayed over its failure to take on India in traditional warfare, Pakistan considers terrorism a genuine weapon to be used for resolving its feud with India. Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has turned out to be a fertile ground for the breeding of terrorists. Uneducated and unemployed youth are recruited, indoctrinated and trained in carrying out terror attacks by Pakistan’s intelligence agency and army. They infiltrate into India by crossing the border, under the cover of fire from Pakistani troops.

These terrorists are heavily armed with guns, explosives, fake Indian currency, etc supplied by the ISI and the Pakistani army. They establish contacts with the disgruntled separatist elements and mercenaries in the Kashmir Valley, with whose help they manage to spread on to different parts of India. The aim of these jihadist elements is to carry out terror attacks, kill or maim innocent people and cause damage to the political fabric of the country. Destabilizing the political system of India and creating chaos in the orderly life of its citizens are the goals of the terrorists.

Image for Is India ready to fightTerrorismObjective of Terrorism

The target of a terrorist is not a professional army nor its objective victory in a war. The target is the civilian population, and the aim is to make them freeze into inaction and make the nation bleed. A series of explosions is carried out in a metropolitan city within a short span of time, causing the death of scores of defenceless and vulnerable people in a densely populated area, thus rudely interrupting and throwing the daily routine of the survivors of the mayhem out of gear. The idea is to show off the ability of the security forces to protect the citizens of the country in poor light.

For instance, a commercial airliner is hijacked, and hundreds of passengers are held captive and demand for the release of some militants held in a high-security prison are put forward. The entire nation plunges into gloom and uncertainty and wonders what is going to happen next. Irrespective of the final outcome of the standoff between the terrorists and the law-enforcing agencies, the tension and uncertainty created by the incident are what the terrorists want to achieve in the long run. The release of the incarcerated militants is a short-term goal. Similarly, on the eve of festivals and national holidays, people are advised by the police authorities to avoid crowded areas, be alert and watch out for suspicious-looking persons lurking around and suspicious-looking objects lying about.

The need to be on a perpetual state of alert causes the joy and euphoria of hanging around in the public fizzle out and render the festive atmosphere fall flat like a cola without the fizz. Public places surcharged with an extremely sanitized atmosphere, and crawling security agencies, in the uniform or plainclothes, are the last places that one wishes to visit on a holiday and spend quality time in the company of family or friends. When the holiday is finally over, instead of reliving moments filled with fun and frolic and looking for doing it again, one heaves a sigh of relief and shudders at the thought of the horror that could have resulted if things had gone wrong in case of a terror attack, which was very much on the radar of possibility but mercifully did not occur.

Prime Minister Modi’s Initiatives

No sooner had he been elected as the Prime Ministerial candidate of BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, than Narendra Modi demonstrated his proactive stance in mending fences with Pakistan. He invited the Prime Minister of Pakistan along with Heads of other member countries of SAARC to his inauguration.  In the one-to-one meeting that he had with Nawaz Sharif, he made it abundantly clear that his Government would give no quarter to acts of terror on the Indian soil by Pak-trained militants. He also insisted on the expeditious trial of the terrorists involved in the attacks carried out in Mumbai in 2008.

Simultaneously, he made a positive gesture by agreeing to host talks between the two countries at the level of Foreign Secretary. This was followed up by another pro-active measure by his agreeing with Nawaz Sharif in his meeting in Ufa, Russia, to host talks on terrorism at the level of the National Security Advisers of the two countries in August this year. Due to the recalcitrant behaviour of Pakistan, the talks did not materialize on either occasion. This was entirely because of the obduracy of Pakistan, which was not willing to discuss terrorism and was keen on the leader of its delegation being allowed to meet the Kashmiri separatist leaders before the scheduled talks commenced.

India would not allow Pakistan under any circumstances to cross the new red lines, talks or no talks. There has resultantly been a standoff on India’s peace initiatives. To make matters worse, Pakistan has been lambasting India for allegedly instigating and abetting acts of terror in Balochistan! Pakistan’s NSA, Sartaj Aziz, went to the extent of threatening India with Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.

Pakistan in a Bind

On account of the fact that Pakistan had already carried out 192 ceasefire violations until July 29 this year along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir resulting in significant civilian and defence casualties, Chief of Army Staff General Dalbir Singh Suhag pointed out that a very high level of operational preparedness at all times had become part of India’s strategy as there was recognition that the swift, short nature of future wars was likely to offer limited warning time. Meanwhile, his Pakistani counterpart threatened India with “unbearable damage” in the event of a war.

Notwithstanding Pakistan’s brandishing the threat of a nuclear attack from time to time, India has already demonstrated its capability of striking at the terror elements that take refuge in other countries, by successfully carrying out a short and swift commando operation in the jungles of Myanmar earlier this year. This has resulted in Pakistan feeling all the more threatened of the terror network that it has been assiduously building on its territory coming under a similar deadly attack by Indian forces.

A measure of tremendous importance taken by Prime Minister Modi was to formally conclude and finalize the Land Border Agreement with Bangladesh as this measure would enable the authorities to monitor the situation of infiltration of undesirable elements into India – a vital step in the war on terrorism. The cyber laws need to be tightened, and punishment for violation or infringement made harsh by the government to ensure that terrorists do not succeed in using the internet and social media for propagation or recruitment purposes.

Addressing Global Terrorism

In his recent visit to the US in September this year, Narendra Modi had meetings with US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande, and they discussed global terrorism, among other things. He pointed out in these meetings as well as his address at the UN that terrorism was a global phenomenon that had an adverse impact on practically every country without exception. And no country was immune to this threat, which India had been battling for four decades now. Modi also pointed out that the time had come for the international community to speak with one voice on this issue and adopt the long pending Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, which had been delayed because of the disagreement on the definition of terrorism. Modi’s views were met with agreement from his interlocutors.

Pakistan’s Counter-Charge

Pakistan has claimed that it has handed over to the UN Secretary General dossiers purportedly containing details of alleged Indian interference and also support for terrorism in Balochistan and Karachi as well as the links between its security and intelligence agencies and the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, especially in FATA. Pakistan’s representative at the UN accused India of using the “terrorism bogey” for stalling the bilateral dialogue between the two countries.

Rubbishing Pakistan’s four-point formula for peace, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asserted earlier it was ready to discuss all the issues if the neighbouring country addressed “just one” point of ending terrorism emanating from there. She also referred in her address to the perpetrators of 26/11 Mumbai attacks who have been roaming around freely in Pakistan and urged the world community to ensure that countries providing finances, safe havens and arms to terrorists “pay a heavy price”.

People’s Role in the War

While India government is thus fighting its case against terrorism at the international fora, the people of the country would do well not to lose track of their own role in the ongoing war on terrorism. Eternal vigilance is the price that every nation has to pay for liberty. Unless the people are attuned to the developments in this regard on the international front and are psychologically prepared to play their part, the government’s efforts in this regard would remain incomplete. The responsibility that weighs with the people assumes greater significance because of the fact that the onslaught of the terrorists has dangerous religious connotations capable of causing a rift in the society along communal lines.

Hence, for the common man the need of the hour is to be vigilant and combine it with the ability to identify the troublemakers without deliberately offending the susceptibilities of the peaceful and law-abiding citizens of any of the communities. It would be a good idea to form area-wise citizens’ peace committees to act, strictly in coordination with law-enforcement agencies and not on their own as loose cannons, to act as the eyes and ears of the said agencies and report cases of suspicious activities of strangers or residents suspected of involvement in cases of inciting violence, money laundering or such unlawful activities.

Regular meetings of police authorities with community leaders and representatives of political parties could help avert instances of irresponsible behaviour by irascible elements, inflammatory speeches, etc. Local friendship associations could be formed with the participation of youngsters from all communities to forge a healthy understanding between the communities. It must be ensured that religious festivals and functions are peacefully organized to avoid situations where potential terrorists could cause trouble and create explosive situations.

Contingency plans should also be put in place for managing the situation in case of a terrorist attack, without allowing rumours to spread and the situation to get out of control. These are but a few of the baby steps that members of every residential area should be able to adopt. Above all, complacency should be nixed and replaced by eternal vigilance.

Are We Doing Enough?

No amount of preparation is enough to keep such a large country as India with a huge population, given the idiosyncrasies of the system and the society, out of harm’s way all the time. But all of us can rest assured that the current BJP-led NDA government is closing the gaping holes in the system and chinks in the defence armour. Bits and pieces are falling in place in our country’s preparations, slowly but steadily. And surely, we will overcome the odds and win the war. There is no choice.

91 thoughts on “Is India Prepared Enough To Fight A Full-Blown War Against Terrorism?

  1. Praveen Pandey

    The figure of INR 250000 crore that you have mentioned may seem very high but in fact it is very less as compared to defence budget of countries like China and US. China is a danger for India and spending on defence cannot be considered excessive.

    Reply
  2. Mudit Sachaan

    Peace during festivities is very necessary. When politics and violence come during festive celebrations people are motivated to attack other religions. Every religion should be allowed to live peacefully so that only development becomes a goal.

    Reply
  3. LaxJana Lauderbaugh

    In my view, India is responsible for terrorism itself. Right groups promote hindutva and ask minorities to live life on terms of Hindus. This makes the youth from minority communities vulnerable to brain washing by hard liner Islamist groups.

    Reply
  4. Kundan Pandey

    Irony is that we are feeding terrorists in our jails. There are news that these men operate from inside the jails via phone and internet. Tihar jail inmates have phones with them. Law and order of India is petty and responsible for terrorism.

    Reply
  5. Deepak R D

    Unless we are on talking terms with pakistan there cannot be any change in circumstances. By being mute and unfriendly, we are only ignoring the issue and not handling it. Take Pak government and millitary in confidence.

    Reply
  6. sauhard nagpal

    Why only Islamic names appear when people talk about terrorism around the world. I can tell several names from Sikh and Hindu community and even people from US and UK who are involved in terror. This way the problem cannot be solved.

    Reply
  7. Rachit Pandey

    Global terrorism needs counter terrorism approach from around the world. ISIS, Al-Qauida and other militant organisations are aginst the entire humanity not any particular nation. Modi is on right track by making friends with all countries.

    Reply
  8. Raghavendra Nagarajan

    Even Musharaf has now admitted that Pakistan is using terrorism against India and they are on friendly terms with extremists. India should approach UN and other world pwers to corner Pakistan.

    Reply
  9. Nikhil Sachdeva

    India has remained a non-aggressive country ever since. Todays time is different when on one side China is trying to cross the border and on other Pakistan is asking for entire Kashmir. Indian defence forces should be ready for attack any time.

    Reply
  10. Srinivasan R

    If after independence Sardar Patel or Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose had become India PM rather than Nehru, Pakistan would not had taken away a part of Kashmir valley. Narendra Modi has the liability now to prove his military skills.

    Reply
  11. Satbir Singh Bedi

    India has to educate its people giving them education in all spheres including sciences, political science, geography, history in a rational manner and also remove poverty which too is responsible for this situation. A poor man can be exploited for committing any crime. Hence the need to remove poverty and closing of all religion based educational institutions

    Reply
  12. Akshay Harake

    Thank you for some other magnificent post. Where else could anybody get that kind of information in such a perfect manner of writing. I have a presentation subsequent week, and I am on the look for such information.

    Reply
  13. Arun Tailor

    Your article will surely be a great help to a lot of people. An outstanding blend of thinking and good writing.

    Reply
  14. Mustafa Kaizar

    Hello, I am so happy I found your weblog. I am really appreciating the commitment you put into your site and in depth information you offer. This has been so particularly generous with people like you to supply openly all that most of us would have offered for sale for an e book in order to make some dough on their own, even more so seeing that you could possibly have tried it if you ever decided.

    Reply
  15. Samvit Dammalapati

    I just want to say I am just all new to blogging and site-building and absolutely enjoyed this web site. Likely I want to bookmark your site . You actually come with amazing writings. Bless you for sharing your web page.

    Reply
  16. Muralikrishna Challagundla

    I read this article completely about the comparison of most up-to-date and preceding technologies, it is remarkable article.

    Reply
  17. Subhasheen

    it is very straightforward to find out any topic on net as compared to books, as I found this article at this web site.

    Reply
  18. Bhooshan Harake

    I blog often and I really thank you for your content. This great article has truly peaked my interest. I am going to book mark your website and keep checking for new information about once per week.

    Reply
  19. Sudarshan kajre

    This site definitely has all of the information and facts I needed concerning this subject and did not know who to ask.

    Reply
  20. Balaji Bala

    I am very happy to find this web site. I wanted to thank you for your time due to this fantastic read. I definitely liked every little bit of it and i also have you saved to fav to see new information in your site.

    Reply
  21. Hemant haridawariya

    I am often to blogging and i really appreciate your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your web site and keep checking for brand new information.

    Reply
  22. Shibani S

    Great web site you have got here.. it is difficult to find high-quality writing like yours nowadays. I truly appreciate people like you. Take care..

    Reply
  23. Deepak Agrawal

    Just wanted to say how much we appreciate the tremendous amount of hard work and effort you all put in to producing this website. It is a great credit to everyone and I am sure will be a great success.

    Reply
  24. Adarsh puroshotam

    I do not even know how I ended up here, however I assumed this publish was great. I do not recognize who you are however certainly you are going to a well-known blogger in the event you are not already. Cheers.

    Reply
  25. Probuddha Nag

    Good day. I am certainly happy I discovered it and I will be book-marking it and checking back frequently.

    Reply
  26. KARAN NAGAR

    Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts. Carry on the great work.

    Reply
  27. Vasishta Haridwari

    After looking into a handful of the blog articles on your website, I seriously like your technique of writing a blog. I added it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back in the near future.

    Reply
  28. Arun Haridas

    I just had to drop you a line to let you know that John and I think that the website is BRILLIANT……………………… Well done.

    Reply
  29. Vikas Dammani

    Hello very cool website. Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your website and take the feeds additionally.I am glad to search out numerous useful information here within the publish, we need work out extra techniques in this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .

    Reply
  30. Alisiraj ahmed

    Thanks for the marvelous posting. I genuinely enjoyed reading it, you are a great author. I will always bookmark your blog and will come back very soon. I want to encourage that you continue your great work,have a nice day.

    Reply
  31. Ragul G R

    Remarkable! Its actually remarkable piece of writing, I have got much clear idea on the topic of from this paragraph.|

    Reply
  32. PREM CHAND

    Hi there, yeah this post is genuinely nice and I have learned lot of things from it on the topic of blogging. thanks.

    Reply
  33. Rajkumar Tailor

    Ahaa, its pleasant dialogue about this piece of writing at this place at this weblog, I have read all that, so at this time me also commenting here.

    Reply
  34. Raghavendra J

    I am not certain the place you are getting your information, however good topic. I must spend some time finding out much more or working out more. Thanks for great info I was searching for this info for my mission.

    Reply
  35. Swetha Balachandran

    You seem to be blessed with a perfect blend of good vocabulary and good writing. Thoroughly admired your work.

    Reply
  36. Daniel Hakimi

    Simply wish to say your article is as amazing. The clearness in your post is simply excellent and i could assume you are an expert on this subject. Well with your permission let me to grab your RSS feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the rewarding work.

    Reply
  37. Asim AHMED

    I have learn several just right stuff here. Certainly price bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how much effort you set to create such a fantastic informative web site.

    Reply
  38. Nigameash Harihar

    Hello. I simply want to give you a huge thumbs up for the great info you have right here on this post. I will be coming back to your site for more soon.

    Reply
  39. Vaishali Gujral

    Very great post. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to say that I have really loved browsing your weblog posts. In any case I will be subscribing on your rss feed and I hope you write once more very soon.

    Reply
  40. Vikas gupta

    Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon everyday. It is always interesting to read through content from other authors and practice something from their web sites.

    Reply
  41. Haritas Abhiram

    Thanks for your marvelous posting! I definitely enjoyed reading it, you might be a great author. I will be sure to bookmark your blog and will often come back very soon. I want to encourage you continue your great writing, have a nice evening!

    Reply
  42. Harmandeep Pal

    Quality articles or reviews is the key to attract the users to go to see the web site, that is what this web page is providing.

    Reply
  43. Junaid Ahamed

    I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this information together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and commenting.

    Reply
  44. Lakshminarayana udupa

    Hurrah, that is what I was seeking for, what a material. present here at this web site, thanks Dr gupta for this post.

    Reply
  45. Amlasree Hari

    Congratulations Dr Gupta in the setting up of your attractive, informative and very professional website. Well done.

    Reply
  46. Niky tytlor

    Very soon this web page will be famous among all blogging and site-building users, due to it is pleasant articles

    Reply
  47. Amey jagadale

    You definitely put a fresh spin on a subject that is been discussed for years. Wonderful stuff, just excellent.

    Reply
  48. Dilip challamarad

    I just want to mention I am all new to weblog and truly savored this blog site. Likely I want to bookmark your blog . You actually have terrific articles. With thanks for sharing with us your web site.

    Reply
  49. Mayank Upasak

    Having read this I thought it was extremely enlightening. I appreciate you finding the time and energy to put this short article together. I once again find myself spending a significant amount of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile!|

    Reply
  50. Mallika

    Great blog you have got here.. it is difficult to find high quality writing like yours these days. I truly appreciate people like you. Take care..

    Reply
  51. Rahul Ahlawat

    it is hard to come by well-informed people on this subject, but you seem like you know what You are talking about. Thanks

    Reply

Leave a Reply to KARAN NAGAR Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *