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| ASK EXPERTS |
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| India Today panel of experts on 'War on Terror' answer surfers' question. |
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| Citizen Experts |
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| Mohan Menon
Retired IPS officer who also served in RAW
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| Murad Baig
Author of a book on Indian heritage
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| Dr Arup Kumar Sen Gupta
Writes that the media has a big role in bringing about the change. |
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| Captain Dinyar Karai
Writes on the counter terrorism strategy that India needs. |
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No people have seen terror like Indians have. Over 18,000 citizens died in attacks in the last decade. |
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Brig (Retd.) Gurmeet
Kanwal
Security Affairs Expert
Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (Retired) is director of
Centre for Land Warfare Studies, a Delhi-based thinktank,
and author of 'Indian Army: Vision 2020'.
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| What should India do now as Pakistan has refused to accept proof on the 26/11 attacks submitted by the Indian government? |
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- Vishant (vishantgarg@gmail.com) |
The Pakistan government appears to be wilting under the heat generated by India's politico-diplomatic offensive and the newly-installed Obama Administration's pressure. However, going by past experience, Pakistan's recent assurances to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice are merely a tactical ploy to buy time and nothing of substance will eventually emerge. If the Pakistan government fails to deliver within a reasonable time period of about three to four months, India should be prepared to upgrade its diplomatic offensive to exercise its military options. Hence, India should keep its powder dry. |
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| Other
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Q: Why is the govt wasting time in giving proof of the Mumbai attacks to Pakistan when we know it will never accept its role in the terror attacks?
- Nikhita (nikhitakalidindi@gmail.com)
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The Government of India is banking on hope: hope that good sense will prevail; hope that the Pakistan government will realise that India is making a distinction by not implying that the duly elected civilian government of Pakistan is complicit but hinting that the ISI is complicit and so is the Pakistan army; and, hope that the international community has sufficient leverage with the government of Pakistan to persuade it to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice. In case the Indian government's hopes are betrayed, as might well happen, the government will be forced to consider other options including military options. War is never a good option, but when all else fails, as Clausewitz had said, war is the continuation of policy by other means.
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Q: Does India have the capability to defend itself from a nuclear attack?
- Bijit (bijitrudra@gmail.com)
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The best defence against nuclear attack is effective nuclear deterrence so that an adversary does not venture to launch such an attack because of fear of India's nuclear retaliation and the unacceptable damage that it will cause. India certainly has an effective deterrent force. The tri-Service Strategic Forces Command is suitably equipped and structured to respond appropriately in the event of a nuclear attack on India. It controls nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles manned by the Indian Army and fighter-bomber aircraft of the IAF that can deliver nuclear warheads when required.
However, the naval leg of India's nuclear triad, that is to be provided by nuclear-powered submarines (SSBNs) armed with submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), is not yet operational. This must be given the highest strategic priority as long-endurance SSBNs that are virtually undetectable provide the best deterrence.
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Q: Don't you think the few Indian locals who support terrorist activities directly or indirectly are a much bigger threat for the country?
- Pankaj (d.pankaj@yahoo.com)
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Indian citizens who support abhorrent terrorist activities certainly deserve our condemnation. However, a serious attempt must be made to study their motives so that we can understand the reasons for their sense of alienation and make a conscious effort to eliminate the root causes that lead them to support terrorist activities. As a liberal and inclusive society, we must endeavour to unite all our citizens under the giant banyan tree of the idea that is India, rather than perpetuate artificial divisions along sectarian lines through insensitivity.
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Q: Shouldn't the Indian government find a permanent solution to combat the issue of terrorism rather than playing blame game politics?
- Gayatri (coolgirl_gayatri@yahoo.co.in)
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International fundamentalist terrorism is a growing phenomenon and, unfortunately, there is no permanent solution. Meeting the counter-terrorism challenge requires eternal vigilance aimed at detection and prevention of terrorist attacks, appropriate response mechanisms when strikes do take place and suitable laws to bring the perpetrators to justice. The government has launched several laudable initiatives within the country - four NSG hubs, FIA, amendment of the UAPA Act, Coastal Command - and has considerably enhanced international cooperation in the fight against terrorism. It now needs the support of all the citizens to fight back more efficiently.
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Q: India said earlier that all options are open and Pakistan replied that the country is ready to answer any army operation against it. Then our leaders said that they don't want war and Pakistan answered that they will not attack India first. Don't you think that Pakistan is the winner of the war of words?
- Vinish (vinish_bc@yahoo.com
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Pakistan is clearly on the back foot and through a war of words its government is resorting to political rhetoric to save face. As far as India is concerned, all options are still open if the Pakistan government continues to be unwilling and unable to root out terrorism against India emanating from it soil. India's massive politico-diplomatic offensive to bring international pressure to bear on Pakistan, including the dossier of evidence on the Mumbai terror attacks, has achieved limited success. In case the Pakistan army and ISI are unable to prevent another major attack, India will have no option other than to use military force to compel Pakistan to deliver.
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Q: Why doesn't our government start speedy trial of the captured terrorist?
- Nidhi (nid_starz@yahoo.co.in)
- "The wheels of justice grind slowly but exceedingly fine..." The law is taking its course, though it appears to be frustratingly slow. Perhaps the case should be handed over to a fast track court. However, it is in India's interest to ensure that the due process of law is fully observed and that there is complete transparency in the criminal proceedings launched against Ajmal Kasab. India is not a banana republic that dispenses justice in five minutes flat; nor do we wish to see our country go down that route – no matter how grave the provocation and how trying the circumstances.
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Q: Why is the govt not doing anything to provide modern weapons to the police forces in the country?
- Tushar (tsuchak@yahoo.com)
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Modernisation of the police forces is lagging behind on several counts. The Central Government is responsible to equip only the Central Police Organisations (CPOs), which include the NSG, BSF, CRPF, CISF, Special Service Bureau (SSB) and some others. The state governments are responsible for the modernisation of their own police forces in the districts and the state armed police, partly with their own funds and partly with funds provided by the Central Government. Under the Scheme for Modernisation of State Police Forces, an amount of Rs.1,065 crore was released to the states during the year 2006-07 and an allocation of Rs.1013.83 crore was approved during 2007-08. However, both at the Centre and in the states, the funds released are not completely expended during the financial year due to bureaucratic red tape and sloth in functioning. The left over funds are surrendered at the end of the financial year. The modernisation schemes that are drawn up are ad hoc and lack a long-term vision.
What is required to be done is to draw up a 15 to 20 years Perspective Plan for modernisation in keeping with the emerging threats and challenges and technological advances. It should then be broken down into five year plans with assured financial backing. Finally, the police forces and the bureaucracy must made be made accountable for lapses. At present almost every IPS officer retires at least as an IG Police and every IAS officer rises to Joint Secretary and above – posts that are deemed by civilian officials to be equivalent to Major Generals, Air Vice Marshals and Rear Admirals. As promotions are automatic, there is virtually no incentive for performance.
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Q: Why is the UPA govt still unable to execute the punishment awarded to Afzal?
- Skanda (kumarskanda@hotmail.com)
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All of us would like to see quick justice meted out to Afzal Guru whose conviction has been upheld by the Supreme Court. However, under the Indian Constitution he is entitled to the benefit of the due process of law and he must get that benefit. Afzal Guru's mercy petition before the President is pending disposal. Former Home Minister Shivraj Patil had clarified that the NDA Government had left behind a large number of pending cases, which have not so far been disposed off and, hence, Afzal Guru's petition has not yet come up for disposal. If that is true, a concerted effort must be made by Mr P Chidambaram to clear all pending cases expeditiously. However, if the delay is on account of vote bank politics, as has been suspected, it is inexcusable. It is for Parliament to take up and settle this issue with the government.
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Q: Shouldn't the Government take strong steps to take Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir back to India?
- Anubhav (thundercoder22@gmail.com)
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That's a good question, especially when many pseudo intellectuals have openly demanded that Indian Kashmir should be handed over to Pakistan! There is an unanimous resolution of Parliament that all of POK must be taken back. India made a mistake in 1948 by taking the case to the UN Security Council at a time when, according to conventional wisdom, the Indian army was knocking on the gates of Muzzaffarabad. Sixty years down the line it is now a disputed territory for all practical purposes. The Indian armed forces are not suitably structured to militarily evict the Pakistan army from POK as such a task has never been assigned to them. Fighting in the mountains requires large numbers of troops because the terrain favours the defender. During the Kargil conflict in 1999, the ratios required to evict the intruders were greater than 12:1 even though they were in temporary and hastily constructed defences, while the Pakistan army has well-prepared fortifications.
Pakistan is also a nuclear-armed state and there is a risk of an all out conventional conflict plus nuclear exchanges if India makes deep inroads into POK. Hence, the solution no longer lies in military options and diplomacy and politics must take their course. Also, before talking of taking back POK, we must first redress the grievances and the sense of alienation of the people of Kashmir on our own side of the LoC.
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Q: Is the govt doing something to combat terrorism or it needs more people to die in the terror attacks?
- Nagaraju (musicalsoft@gmail.com
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To its credit the Central Government has moved rather quickly after the Mumbai terror attacks in response to the visibly manifest anger of the people, as reflected by the media. The UAPA Act has been suitably amended, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been constituted and Coastal Commands are taking shape for enhancing maritime security. However, there is still a lot to be done as we have been negligent of internal security requirements for a long time. Optimally harnessing and synergising the potential of humint, police forces and technological surveillance and putting together well-equipped and well-trained counter-terrorism forces with rapid reaction capability will take some time. At this crucial juncture, when the next attack may come tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, the government and the security forces need our support and encouragement to function efficiently, rather than more criticism, which will only serve to deflect them from their goal.
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Q: What action should India take if Pakistan fails to ban the terrorist outfits working from its soil?
- BB (bhagwan_thadani@yahoo.co.in)
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If Pakistan fails to ban, dismantle and destroy the terrorist outfits operating against India from its soil, then India must take up the challenge to do so itself. Calibrated military strikes must be launched against the known locations of these outfits and their handlers, the Pakistan army and the ISI, taking care to minimise collateral damage as our fight is not against the Pakistani people. Military strikes that provide short-term benefits – the effect lasts as long as the strikes are continued – must be combined with covert intelligence operations against the targeted terrorist outfits deep within Pakistan on a sustained basis.
It will not be easy, there will be international repercussions and the danger of large-scale conflict breaking out with attendant nuclear risks – that is, escalation to nuclear exchanges. If national security is to be safeguarded, calculated risks have to be taken. The only other option is to sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack and the next and the next… clean up the mess and pin medals on the armed forces' heroes and the martyr's kith and kin on Republic Day parades.
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Q: How can the government neglect the security measures at places like railway stations even after the Mumbai terror attacks?
- Sanchita (manzil1987@gmail.com)
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To their credit, the governments at the Centre and in the states have definitely stirred themselves out of their stupor. As the resources available for security are so little, it will take a while to step up deployments. New police personnel and intelligence agents need to be recruited, armed, equipped, trained, housed and fed before they can join the work force. Surveillance devices like CCTVs and infrared monitors also need to be purchased and installed. The ones that are already available need to be made serviceable. Meanwhile, the security of vulnerable areas must be ensured by calling for help from the Central Police and Paramilitary Forces (CPMFs), bearing in mind that some of these are also overstretched. One action that all state governments can take right away is to withdraw the thousands of security personnel detailed for VIP security duties and deploy them at key locations that are more vulnerable than VIPs so that they can act as a deterrent.
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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?
