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 Lalit Mansingh,
Foreign Policy Expert
Ambassador Lalit Mansingh, India's former foreign Secretary and former ambassador to the US.
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| Shouldn't India carry out a crusade to eliminate Pakistan through the diplomatic, financial and other available means for diluting the menace of terrorism? |
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-Ramesh (nigamrc@gmail.com) |
| Our objective is not to eliminate Pakistan as a nation but to focus on the terrorist groups who operate in Pakistani territory and receive the official patronage of the military establishment. This requires concerted diplomatic efforts to ban these terrorist organisations, freeze their funding and permanently dismantle their infrastructure. Pakistan has been under intense international pressure. |
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| Other Q&As |
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Q: Why is the police system in India not free from the unnecessary political intervention?
-Kishor(Kishorjindal@hotmail.com)
- Under our Constitution, the police function under a government elected by the people. This creates opportunities for political interferences in criminal investigations and law enforcement. The solution lies in giving the police organisation some constitutional guarantees against political intervention, subject to the oversight of Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies of the state.
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Q: Why is India not taking steps to destroy the terror camps in Pakistan and Bangladesh?
-Jothishkumar(jothish_kumar@hotmail.com)
- Firstly, there is no sanction under the international law for attacking another sovereign country. While we can invoke self-defence for such a measure, the UN charter requires every member country to approach the UN Security Council and seek its approval before doing so. The procedures of the UN are long, complicated and unpredictable.
Secondly, the training camps are mainly make-shift facilities, which can be relocated elsewhere if attacked. Eliminating the present camps will not therefore be a permanent solution.
Thirdly, there is the danger of military strikes resulting in collateral damage, i.e. of innocent civilians being killed in the process. This will turn international opinion against India.
Finally, in the case of Pakistan, military strike may well escalate into a full scale war and there is a possibility of Pakistan using its nuclear weapons against India.
Hence, the military option should be very carefully considered and only if all other options are exhausted.
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Q: What is the best and simple way to solve the problem of terrorism?
-Manoj(manojcs55@gmail.com)
- There is no silver bullet, no quick and simple way to resolve the issue of terrorism. 80 per cent of the effort lies in restructuring the police and intelligence machinery so that we can pre-empt acts of terrorism and protect innocent people. The balance of 20 per cent lies in mobilising diplomacy to ensure effective international cooperation against terrorism. This requires sharing of intelligence and coordinated action in locating and eliminating the sources which recruit, train, fund and arm the terrorists.
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Q: If you are the National Security Advisor to the PM, what diplomatic and military initiatives would you recommend to your boss?
-Vijay (VijayBee@gmail.com)
- I presume the diplomatic initiative I would recommend is sustained effort to mobilise the international community to prevail on Pakistan to dismantle the terror networks starting with the madarsas, where Pakistani youth are indoctrinated with jihadi ideology and ending with destroying the training camps and supplies of arms and funds.
It is especially important for India to reveal to the world the evidence we possess on Pakistani complicity in spreading international terrorism. We need to work closely both with the current Bush administration and with the incoming Obama administration to ensure that Pakistan doesn't get away with symbolic gestures.
We had seen in 2002 that General Musharraf tried to impress the world by detaining some of the terrorist leaders and then letting them off. Pakistan must not be allowed to aid, shelter train and fund terrorists on its soil anymore. Time hasn't arisen for military initiatives to be taken in the current situation.
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Q: Why shouldn't India declare war against Pakistan as the situations are same like 9/11 in the US? If the US can demolish Iraq after the 9/11 attack, why is India proving itself a weak state against terrorism?
-Niraj (niraj2010@hotmail.com)
- There is no question of India being a soft state. However, a strong state does not have to prove its strength by declaring war against its neighbours. India has in fact convincingly defeated Pakistan in every war when its sovereignty was violated. Going to war with Pakistan is not a smart idea, in view of the following reasons:
Firstly, Pakistan is in many ways a failing state. It is facing insurgency in Baluchistan. The Pakistani Taliban has set up a virtually independent government in the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP). The civilian government is unable to exercise control over the Pakistan army especially the ISI. Any military attack by India carries the risk of either a military takeover in Pakistan or a disintegration of that country. Neither development would benefit India.
Secondly, it is important for India and the rest of the world to break the nexus between the Pakistani army and the terrorists groups which receive its encouragement, assistance and patronage. India's efforts should be to expose this nexus and to exert international pressure on Pakistan to destroy the nexus.
Thirdly, the American attack on Iraq hasn't been a great success. The lesson we need to learn from this is that in some situations a military solution may be counter productive. And finally we need to weigh the military option very carefully considering that Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons.
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Q: I wonder that if the US can chase the terrorists across the border in Waziristan then what is stopping India from doing the same in PoK. Is there any fear of a nuclear war?
- Vinod (vpp24@yahoo.com)
- Yes, there is definitely a danger of the pursuit of terrorists into Pakistan- occupied Kashmir or Pakistan escalating into a full scale war and possible use of nuclear weapons by Pakistan. Recent US missile strikes in Pakistan have not been a great success and hence a military action does not appear to me to be an attractive option at least in the current situation.
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| Join the War on Terror today |
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| You can also |
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SMS ‘WAR’ to52424
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| In case you come across any suspicious activity or have any information to tell the Anti-Terror Squad, |
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| Dial All India Toll-Free
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| Terror Helpline No.1090
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| The identity of the caller will be kept a secret.
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Here's a list of emergency numbers and addresses in 6 important cities.
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We bring together stories, videos and pictures on terror attacks across the nation.
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India Reacts
The prime purpose of the terrorists is to shatter the peace and unity of the country. The only way to defeat them is by defeating their mindless purpose-- stand with determined resilience with the people of the country irrespective of communal, linguistic and regional barriersn.
Swarnima Bhattacharya
, Lucknow
Much has been spoken by the leaders, but no concrete work has been done so far. The ministry should not be headed by any politician but by some retired police or preferably some military official.
Shailendra Vikrant , Chandigarh
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Headlines Today anchors pledge to fight terror
Are we safe anywhere?
