03-10-2006, 02:44 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Homegrown terrorism looms over India </b>
Pioneer.com
Navin Upadhyay/New Delhi
For long, Jammu and Kashmir has been the hotbed of terrorist violence in India. Even the daylight attack on Indian Parliament in 2001 was carried out by a fidayeen group that had sneaked into the country from across the border.
The terrorist violence of the past had a clear message: The bloodletting would go on till the liberation of Kashmir.
In the past two years of UPA Government's rule, the pattern of terrorist strikes has changed dramatically. The new choice of targets and locations are indications of a much more heinous design to destabilise the entire nation, and create a situation where India is pushed on the brink of a communal frenzy. What is equally disturbing is the fact that in most recent cases, the strikes were carried out by homegrown mercenaries, financed and trained by Pakistan-based terror outfits.
In dealing with terror factories operating in POK, the country has for long raised its hands in despair, hoping that someday General Pervez Musharraf will undergo a metamorphosis and work for dismantling terrorist training camps. While Mr Musharraf has so far done precious little to address India's concern, New Delhi has lowered its guard by opening one after another rail and road links, ignoring the warning from Intelligence and security agencies.
Now, the terrorists do not need to risk their lives in crossing the heavily guarded border. They can simply board a bus or train and arrive in India to a read carpet welcome. The opening of rail and road links have followed sudden spurt in seizure of explosives in different parts of the country. The coincidence could be overlooked only at the risk of inviting peril of the type the country witnessed in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ayodhya, and now in Varanasi.
With passage to India becoming easy, the terrorists have changed their tactics too. Instead of going for fidayeen attacks, they have now begun to train and hire local criminals and fundamentalist elements to carry out their tasks. Unabated illegal migration from Bangladesh, sprouting Madarsas on sensitive border points, growing ISI network and an indifferent attitude of several State Governments and the Centre have contributed to the creation of a situation where India finds itself seized from within.
The investigation in Delhi serial blasts and preliminary reports from Varanasi indicate that in both cases <b>Pakistan-based terrorists had used homegrown elements to execute their plans. The involvement of local elements was also indicated in Bangalore and Hyderabad. There were telltale sighs all over that members of banned outfits like SIMI were working in close co-ordination with the Pakistan-based terror groups. But the Government conveniently refused to read the writing on the wall. After Delhi blast, when involvement of locals was firmly established and their links with SIMI proven, the need of the hour was to launch a nation-wide crackdown on such outfits. But, instead of parroting the "nation's resolve' to combat terror, the Government preferred to carry on a brazen minority appeasement politics that further communalised politics and society. </b>
From day one in office, the UPA Government had sent an unambiguous message that tackling terror threat was not its priority. The scrapping of POTA and its replacement by the anaemic Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act, showed that the Government would make any compromise to keep its so-called "secular" allies in good humour.
<b>The demand to scrap POTA was uppermost on the agenda of those who thrive on brazen minorityism. It is not that only people from the minority community were booked under POTA. But somehow, a section of India's political class convinced the minority community that crackdown on anti-national elements was targeted at them, per se. This dangerous impression helped in creating a sense of alienation among the Muslims, who are now being manipulated for political ends by the 'thekedars" of secularism </b>
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Pioneer.com
Navin Upadhyay/New Delhi
For long, Jammu and Kashmir has been the hotbed of terrorist violence in India. Even the daylight attack on Indian Parliament in 2001 was carried out by a fidayeen group that had sneaked into the country from across the border.
The terrorist violence of the past had a clear message: The bloodletting would go on till the liberation of Kashmir.
In the past two years of UPA Government's rule, the pattern of terrorist strikes has changed dramatically. The new choice of targets and locations are indications of a much more heinous design to destabilise the entire nation, and create a situation where India is pushed on the brink of a communal frenzy. What is equally disturbing is the fact that in most recent cases, the strikes were carried out by homegrown mercenaries, financed and trained by Pakistan-based terror outfits.
In dealing with terror factories operating in POK, the country has for long raised its hands in despair, hoping that someday General Pervez Musharraf will undergo a metamorphosis and work for dismantling terrorist training camps. While Mr Musharraf has so far done precious little to address India's concern, New Delhi has lowered its guard by opening one after another rail and road links, ignoring the warning from Intelligence and security agencies.
Now, the terrorists do not need to risk their lives in crossing the heavily guarded border. They can simply board a bus or train and arrive in India to a read carpet welcome. The opening of rail and road links have followed sudden spurt in seizure of explosives in different parts of the country. The coincidence could be overlooked only at the risk of inviting peril of the type the country witnessed in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ayodhya, and now in Varanasi.
With passage to India becoming easy, the terrorists have changed their tactics too. Instead of going for fidayeen attacks, they have now begun to train and hire local criminals and fundamentalist elements to carry out their tasks. Unabated illegal migration from Bangladesh, sprouting Madarsas on sensitive border points, growing ISI network and an indifferent attitude of several State Governments and the Centre have contributed to the creation of a situation where India finds itself seized from within.
The investigation in Delhi serial blasts and preliminary reports from Varanasi indicate that in both cases <b>Pakistan-based terrorists had used homegrown elements to execute their plans. The involvement of local elements was also indicated in Bangalore and Hyderabad. There were telltale sighs all over that members of banned outfits like SIMI were working in close co-ordination with the Pakistan-based terror groups. But the Government conveniently refused to read the writing on the wall. After Delhi blast, when involvement of locals was firmly established and their links with SIMI proven, the need of the hour was to launch a nation-wide crackdown on such outfits. But, instead of parroting the "nation's resolve' to combat terror, the Government preferred to carry on a brazen minority appeasement politics that further communalised politics and society. </b>
From day one in office, the UPA Government had sent an unambiguous message that tackling terror threat was not its priority. The scrapping of POTA and its replacement by the anaemic Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act, showed that the Government would make any compromise to keep its so-called "secular" allies in good humour.
<b>The demand to scrap POTA was uppermost on the agenda of those who thrive on brazen minorityism. It is not that only people from the minority community were booked under POTA. But somehow, a section of India's political class convinced the minority community that crackdown on anti-national elements was targeted at them, per se. This dangerous impression helped in creating a sense of alienation among the Muslims, who are now being manipulated for political ends by the 'thekedars" of secularism </b>
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