The mainstream media is running amok after the news of detention of Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother Abdul Rehman Rauf and several other individuals involved in the Pathankot Terrorist Attack. To break the ice, Pakistan along with these several actions, also sealed JeM offices after India demanded action. Pakistan also said that it may send a Joint Investigative Team to Pathankot to further collect information about the attacks. The attack that left India in a state of shock in the first week of the New Year needs to be dealt with both diplomacy and aggression.
Though the Indian Agencies claim that the attack was averted due to the act of grit and valour by the Indian Security Forces, there are many facets of the terrorist attack that needs to be introspected both at diplomatic as well as security level.
First I will talk about the political and diplomatic level. What India needs to do is not stop the bilateral talks that are scheduled but pressure should be mounted on the neighbour to extradite Masood Azhar and the other perpetrators (though I personally believe that this is the last thing that’s going to happen). Based on previous drama played by the Pakistani counterparts during the 26/11 attack, it is laughable if India is contended by the steps Pakistan had taken recently. What intrigues me is that how can a banned terrorist outfit be allowed to operate openly and use its propaganda against India unless it has the State’s support.
Let me remind you what Pakistan did to show its compulsion against terrorism after the 26/11. In reaction to UN Security Council’s resolution imposing sanctions on Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the front for LeT, Pakistan placed its chief, Hafiz Saeed under house arrest and banned JuD from immediate effect. To add cherry to the cake the then prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani directed the State Bank of Pakistan to freeze the bank accounts of Jamaat. The present whereabouts of Saeed is that he is a free man which shows Pakistan’s dual standards when it comes to act against terrorism. Attending the marriage ceremony of Sharif’s grand-daughter by Modi would not bring any change as the real power is in the hands of the other Sharif (Raheel)!
Now let me talk about the introspection needed at the security level. As quoted by our defence minister Mr. Manohar Parrikar, “How the hell did the infiltrate the Airbase”, is a big question. To get inside it they crossed two major and perhaps the most difficult barriers, The Indo-Pak border and the Airbase Security and managed to stay in India for almost 12 hours after infiltrating the Indian border. And all this after there was an alert. You can gauge the severity of the attack that could have happened if there was no alert.
Does this not ring bells in the minds of Indian Security Forces? India needs to check the possibilities of espionage from within the security forces. I prefer not to comment on the alleged role of Salvinder Singh unless he is proven guilty but some serious questions needs to be asked. If the same inefficient system continues to exist then India would never be able to curb cross border terrorism catered by its hostile neighbour.
