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An Inhuman War

Humans always live in a constant state of fear be it of the unknown or the known, psychological or physiological. Can terror attacks on citizens or the military that protects its citizens be this existential terror because death could be on the other side of the rock at any moment? The forces protect the Country from invaders and attackers thereby risking their own lives. When the forces are killed without lifting a firearm, is it an act of terror? There are conventions that are followed in a war. What conventions are followed in an act of terror? Is the answer, terror from the other side? Collateral damage would be too high for any individual to fathom. Attacks like the one that killed 40 CRPF men last week are not acts of terrorism. They are acts of war. This is not a simple intelligence failure. This is sabotage. Masood Azhar of JEM operating from across the border is widely believed to be behind this.

December 1999 saw an Indian Airlines Flight IC814, en route from Kathmandu to New Delhi being hijacked and eventually forced to land in Kandahar that was controlled by Taliban, an alter ego of the Pakistan’s ISI. Masood Azhar was one of the three terrorists released in exchange for freeing the hostages. Was this a diplomatic failure of the then government? Encounters happen in every part of the World. Covert operations are also a part of military strategy. Did both not work in this case? Why are people from one generation to another held hostage to the shenanigans of the same individual? Jihadi groups are created not out of rules and regulations. Like rats, they too scurry for a hole when attacked. If that be so, why cannot they be eliminated, outside the purview of law? Several leaders over the years have promised, for their own ends, an elimination of such rats. Having come to power on lofty promises, they have allowed the very same rats escape into their holes. Rat holes have a way of growing and eventually become a maze that one cannot decipher easily. With all the fire power at ones command is it not possible to blow the rat holes to smithereens? The political class needs the spine to order so, lack of which seems to be the real problem. Result is, sometimes the citizenry and sometimes the forces pay a price that neither of them had bargained for. Religious fanatics have no place anywhere in the world. If they turn to terrorism to settle scores, then a sovereign country reserves a right to do exactly the same. Jihadists must be tried in special Military courts like they have setup to try rapists, with retribution coming instantly. Undoubtedly we will kill terrorists, not terrorism, but then the malaise has to be addressed in multiple ways and instant retribution is just one of them.

Surgical strike like that conducted in Uri, did raise the expectations of many an Indian. At last there was somebody who could take the war into the enemy camp. If that had the necessary effect on the enemy camp, how does one explain the Pulwama attack? Any attack has a maximum potential to cause damage when there is a surprise element. Military strikes can never be publicised nor be subjected to public scrutiny and debate least of all be politicised. Does one attack after advertising in a National daily? We need more sensitivity and understanding from all concerned. Low intensity wars can bleed a country to death. Full-fledged wars have a high cost. Sri Lanka war on terrorism is a study for the uninitiated. It appears that we are in a state of undeclared war with Pakistan. For a start, why cannot we break diplomatic relations? Do we gain any mileage by having an embassy in Islamabad or being home to one in Delhi, when all that we get is a regular procession of mutilated bodies of our beloved soldiers and officers? Honestly, we owe that to their widows with children who do not understand the tragedy that has befallen them.

Is there another dimension to the vexing problem of dastardly attacks from across the border considering that we live in a digital world today? Unfortunately, the fruits of technology have been used to radicalise children and youth using various social media platforms, virtually brainwashing them into causing mayhem. Can we use the social media to undo the damage?

As Major Gaurav Arya put it, the Kashmir Valley is being radicalized at a furious pace. There are more than five hundred madrasas in Anantnag alone, unmonitored and free to decide what they will teach to the impressionable young who are all locals. The glory of Jihad is taught to children as young as five years old. Smartphones in Kashmir have content that is shocking, and we have no strategy to counter it. WhatsApp groups are used not just to gather stone pelters at the site of an encounter, but also to warn terrorists of movement of security forces, the number of vehicles, direction of movement and estimated number of troops. Fake Twitter handles and Facebook pages are created by the thousands, backed by Pakistan’s ISI. Blogs, Vlogs, music, videos, and literature that are freely circulated. Disgusting use of technology.

As a solution to the radicalisation, he suggests that a fully secure and infra supported building in the capitol, staffed by a few army officers at the top and supported by a team of thousands of young civilians with a liberal mix of Kashmiris, who could be content writers, videographers, special effects experts, video editors, hackers, social media experts, research scholars, and experts in Islamic theology, linguists, songwriters and musicians, all under the same roof.  One needs to create counter propaganda using every conceivable social media platform. Surely we can mobilise thousands of our brothers and sisters who willingly will put their lives on the line each day to tell India’s story.

An undeclared war must be won if war against terror is to be won. If the neighbour must be chastened in the process, so be it. All approaches are required if we were to stop the gory sight of coffins arriving with an alarming regularity. Above all, every one of us must stop proposing an arm chair military strategy and let the forces do their job. After all they are trained in it and have the wisdom and expertise to carry it.

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