The recent terror attacks in Mumbai, the daily killings in Kashmir, the naxal attacks, the infiltration of terrorists through the seas, a failing intelligence service and the frantic calls for the government to act, point to nothing strange or novel. If anything, all these underline a state of affairs which has existed right from the ’93 blasts to the 26 November 2008 terror attacks and perhaps might continue…
The people of India are weary. India is crying for peace. We yearn for freedom. Everybody out there has a formula for peace and prosperity but nobody seems to be able to transcend these talks and statements. This war against India is a fruit of politics which was seeded in 1947, when mother India was split and divided on religious norm. The deadly game of politics played then, has given birth to the likes of LeT, Al Badr, Hizbul Mujahideen and others. These Islamic groups have waged their ‘holy’ war against India and its citizens. Their objective is to merge J&K with Pakistan. They view Kashmir as the gateway to our country for rescuing Muslims here. They have now successfully moved out of Kashmir and spread their wings across India. Militant Islam is actually a dangerous and scary political force that is using Islam as a convenient ploy to extend its tentacles of fear worldwide
Terrorists for us, jehadis for some – yet humans in the end!!! Times and now I have tried to think from their point of view, understand their psychology, their thought processes. Tried to find an answer….why this war? These young, little ‘terrorists’ are brain washed, are taken advantage of their weakness. Some are lured in by cash like the case of Mohammad Aamir Kasab, the only terrorist caught alive in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Some join in influenced by lunatics. Money, religion, family are all such reasons why these young men become scapegoats. Well a bigger reason could possibly be - a lack of identity.
The Muslims in India, particularly in Kashmir and in POK have continued their struggle for the right to self determination for more than five decades, despite the brutality and suppression inflicted on them by Indian Occupation forces. The Pakistanis have seen defeat at the hands of Indian forces in 1965, 1971 and 1999. Their blood boiled when they lost East Bengal (Bangladesh) and always blamed it on our lack of ‘love for Islam’. Pakistanis fight for an identity. A nation of their own, not as a part of something.
The rise of militancy in Kashmir was never well tackled either by India or Pakistan. The blame game continues and has resulted in people, in both countries, loosing their - lives, families, a sense of trust on their respective governments. If the security route was the right course to follow in Kashmir, India’s problems would have been long solved. But the problem as every sane man or woman in India realizes, goes deeper. It touches the sullenness of an entire population. What is India’s answer to this deep rooted alienation? More battalions to the Indian army? Harsher measures against the local population of Kashmir? Beating louder drums of cross border terrorism? All these have not worked before. Are they likely to bring any miracles now?
Terrorism must be tackled and weeded out from its roots itself. Let us admit that these roots are the young Muslim men and women who have heard stories about their forefathers being driven out of their country, who have witnessed the brutal killings of their fellows, who are tired of telling people that they are INDIANS, who live as strangers in their country, who are continuously being judged by their names and religion, who are fighting for a nation of their own, who demand an identity, an individuality of their own. Our failure to understand them, their needs, their feelings have all while proved us costly. A sense of belonging to their motherland and respect, love and tolerance towards other countries needs to be developed and nurtured within them. If countries across the globe fail to understand this very point and treat these ‘budding’ terrorists as outsiders or Satan’s agents, many more ‘Kasabs’ and ‘Ismail khans’ are waiting to explode many more bombays.
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