Of late, there has been much anger amongst the minorities in India. There also appears to be a concerted effort to instigate this or that community to raise non-existent issues so that the overall intrnal security environment is spoilt.
Why cannot the UPA or for that matter any other government simply appoint proportionate numbers of ministers from the minority communities, say 15 Muslims, three Christians, and two Sikhs over and above those that may already be in the government? The new ministers will be equally efficient, honest, knowledgeable, ignorent, corrupt and patriotic but they will give their respective communities the feeling that some of their representatives are indeed part of the government and working for alleviating their conditions. This in my opinion will be one simple, inexpensive and easy way to win their hearts and minds and reduce avoidable conflict. Merely changing the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghatan logo from the Hindu (?) lotus to include a Cross and Crescent will not appease anyone but in fact infuriate even the normally peace loving and quiet Hindu. Woth a try isnt it? Worst that can happen is some more taxpayers' money down the drain but that is a small price to pay for peace!!!
Friday 5 September 2008
BORDERING ON COWARDICE?
Air Cmde (Retd) RV Phadke
Two recent incidents along India’s borders should have caused serious concern to our security establishment. Immediate action was certainly warranted but nothing happened. It seems the decision makers in the government were, as usual, preoccupied with other pressing issues. The full-blown protests in Jammu and the Srinagar Valley no doubt, appeared as if they had gone completely out of control but the government was conspicuous by its absence. Add to it the fortnight-long floods in Bihar, communal violence in Orissa, (Maoist claim that they killed the VHP leader), the ongoing land agitation at Singur, and the government’s cup of woes is overflowing. Even so can India afford to neglect its security?
Concurrently with the J&K agitation, the Pakistani Army decided to violate the five-year old cease-fire on at least 31 times so far. The sub-plot of one of those was the 17-hour long hostage crisis near Jammu in which seven (?) innocents were killed by the Jihadi terrorists that had succeeded in infiltrating the International Border (IB), mind you, not the LOC. The other less publicized but perhaps more deadly was the report that Indian engineers and construction workers from Bihar had attempted to repair/strengthen the Kosi river dam on the Nepal border way back in April/May this year. They were, however, threatened and chased away by the local Nepali population and hence could not carry out any repairs to or strengthen the dam which finally breached two weeks ago and flooded half of Bihar causing 50 deaths and rendering over 3.5 million, homeless. Going by our past experience the refugees will not be able to go back to their home and hearth for months if not years. Many will run to big towns and cities and add to the woes of the already creaking urban infrastructure. Such things, however, continue to happen with sickening regularity.
Taking the infiltration issue first, Indian authorities have known for years the Pakistani army’s time-tested tactic of providing covering fire to infiltrating Jihadi terrorists. This time the infiltration was across the IB and not the LOC. Pakistan cannot be allowed to harp on the ‘Kashmir is a disputed territory’ line again and again. And yet besides expressing concern the Indian government did nothing. The National Security Advisor Shri Narayanan, in an interview to a TV channel even said that the problem in J&K was not as serious as it was made out to be. I am sure those who lost their near and dear ones and the four children and their mother that lived on a few gulps of water for 17 hours with three terrorists threatening them with a gun would think otherwise. Another TV channel has now released footage of Infrared pictures of some 500 terrorists waiting to cross the IB; the BSF has confirmed that. With this kind of evidence if proof is at all needed, the Indian army and the air force should have promptly razed the subject Pakistani post to the ground and only then opened the DMO Hot Line. Does India need more provocation?
Similarly, the Bihar engineers and workers should have been provided armed protection and the repairs to the Kosi dam carried out in good time. No body can now be expected to buy the lame excuse that the Nepali government was preoccupied with their own problems and hence did not have the time to attend to these ‘minor’ issues. Some years ago China had suddenly released excess water from one of its dams that caused flash floods in the Sutlej and destroyed lives and property in Himachal Pradesh. Then too nothing happened.
What is the need to keep a million-strong army (navy and the air force) if any neighbor can thumb his nose and get away killing innocent Indians? Is this what we mean by ‘zero tolerance’ to terrorism? Is this the way to protect and safeguard the territorial integrity of India, an oath that every government functionary takes?
Air Cmde (Retd) RV Phadke
Two recent incidents along India’s borders should have caused serious concern to our security establishment. Immediate action was certainly warranted but nothing happened. It seems the decision makers in the government were, as usual, preoccupied with other pressing issues. The full-blown protests in Jammu and the Srinagar Valley no doubt, appeared as if they had gone completely out of control but the government was conspicuous by its absence. Add to it the fortnight-long floods in Bihar, communal violence in Orissa, (Maoist claim that they killed the VHP leader), the ongoing land agitation at Singur, and the government’s cup of woes is overflowing. Even so can India afford to neglect its security?
Concurrently with the J&K agitation, the Pakistani Army decided to violate the five-year old cease-fire on at least 31 times so far. The sub-plot of one of those was the 17-hour long hostage crisis near Jammu in which seven (?) innocents were killed by the Jihadi terrorists that had succeeded in infiltrating the International Border (IB), mind you, not the LOC. The other less publicized but perhaps more deadly was the report that Indian engineers and construction workers from Bihar had attempted to repair/strengthen the Kosi river dam on the Nepal border way back in April/May this year. They were, however, threatened and chased away by the local Nepali population and hence could not carry out any repairs to or strengthen the dam which finally breached two weeks ago and flooded half of Bihar causing 50 deaths and rendering over 3.5 million, homeless. Going by our past experience the refugees will not be able to go back to their home and hearth for months if not years. Many will run to big towns and cities and add to the woes of the already creaking urban infrastructure. Such things, however, continue to happen with sickening regularity.
Taking the infiltration issue first, Indian authorities have known for years the Pakistani army’s time-tested tactic of providing covering fire to infiltrating Jihadi terrorists. This time the infiltration was across the IB and not the LOC. Pakistan cannot be allowed to harp on the ‘Kashmir is a disputed territory’ line again and again. And yet besides expressing concern the Indian government did nothing. The National Security Advisor Shri Narayanan, in an interview to a TV channel even said that the problem in J&K was not as serious as it was made out to be. I am sure those who lost their near and dear ones and the four children and their mother that lived on a few gulps of water for 17 hours with three terrorists threatening them with a gun would think otherwise. Another TV channel has now released footage of Infrared pictures of some 500 terrorists waiting to cross the IB; the BSF has confirmed that. With this kind of evidence if proof is at all needed, the Indian army and the air force should have promptly razed the subject Pakistani post to the ground and only then opened the DMO Hot Line. Does India need more provocation?
Similarly, the Bihar engineers and workers should have been provided armed protection and the repairs to the Kosi dam carried out in good time. No body can now be expected to buy the lame excuse that the Nepali government was preoccupied with their own problems and hence did not have the time to attend to these ‘minor’ issues. Some years ago China had suddenly released excess water from one of its dams that caused flash floods in the Sutlej and destroyed lives and property in Himachal Pradesh. Then too nothing happened.
What is the need to keep a million-strong army (navy and the air force) if any neighbor can thumb his nose and get away killing innocent Indians? Is this what we mean by ‘zero tolerance’ to terrorism? Is this the way to protect and safeguard the territorial integrity of India, an oath that every government functionary takes?
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