Pulwama Attack
By Dr D.K.Giri
(Prof. International Politics, JMI)
The terrorist suicide attack at Lethpora, Awantipora in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir killing 46 CRPF personnel has deeply shocked and fiercely outraged the Indians up and down the country. The mood of anger, exasperation and revenge is sweeping across the nation as has never been seen before. The Government is almost pressed into taking decisive action as no room is left for dithering any more.
Before we talk about the nature and magnitude of India’s retaliation, we should decode Pakistan’s reaction through the vacuous statements of their Prime Minister in the channel. As Indians from all walks of life are urging the Government to act, the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has reacted to the dastardly attack on our security forces with diplomatic verities.
Khan has been propped up by its military and some terrorists. He claims to speak for a New Pakistan, which is seeking stability. He asks what Pakistan gets out of such an attack. Khan should know that the whole world knows — Pakistani military feeds on terrorism and the funds it generates to harbour and sponsor terrorists.
It is now an open secret that, in the name of fighting militants in Afghanistan, Pakistan was given billions of dollars, bulk of which it used in sponsoring terrorism in India. The present American President has testified to this in no uncertain terms. Khan should check Pakistani military budget, their receiving and spending on the terrorism. That is the benefit to Pakistan, where military rules the roost.
The second point Khan laboriously makes is Pakistan is a victim of terrorism, which has taken 70,000 Pakistani lives and cost them billions of dollars. This is a sympathy seeking posture ubiquitously used by Pakistani governments in their international presentations. Khan should know the idea of karma or poetic justice that “those who live by the sword will die by the sword” and there is a proverb that similarly says, “If someone digs a hole for others they will fall into it.”So, beware, unless you stop breeding terrorists, you will be consumed by it.
Third, Khan says we are ready for a dialogue with India, including on terrorism which according to him, is India’s precondition. But India has seen through Pakistan’s duplicity, which will offer or respond to invitation to talk, at the same time, sponsor terrorism. Terrorist attacks in Pathankot, Uri, Kargil have accompanied or followed the dialogue process. Pakistan is now known for its deceptive international behavior. It no longer has any credibility for peace initiative as it has become a hub of terrorism. Note that India is not the only target; even Iran accuses Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism in its soil.
Imran Khan cites Afghanistan, where 17 years of military action did not work and the warring parties had to come to the table for talks. Again in Afghanistan, peace has been bedeviled by Pakistani duplicity of supporting the Taliban on the one hand, and sucking up to Americans on the other for funds to contain Taliban. If Taliban is neutralised, Pakistan will have no more business from America. Now America realises this and Pakistan is left in the lurch vis-a-vis American support. And the jury is still out on Afghanistan.
Anyway, for any dialogue to take place or proceed, let alone succeed, first, people have to lay down arms. Dialogue and deaths cannot go together. Let Khan study the peace process in Northern Ireland, where peace was restored through dialogue that followed a complete and transparent surrender of arms, unlike Pakistan holding a white flag in one hand and a bomb on the other.
Fourth, Imran Khan asks which law in the world allows a particular country to be a judge, jury and an executioner. Show us the proof of Pakistan’s complicity in the recent attack, he protests. Obviously, Khan is forgetting the series of terrorist attacks in India carried out in active connivance with the Pakistani Army and ISI. Trees of evidence have been provided to Pakistan, and the Pulwama attack has been claimed to have been done by JeM. Then asking for proof is ridiculous. Does Imran Khan not know how may terrorist groups operate from Pakistan? Dawood Ibrahim moves scot free! Osama Bin Laden was camping near an army base. So is there no limit to Pakistani leadership prevaricating on terrorism.
In the same breath, Pakistan will retaliate any action by Indian military, claims Khan He sermonises: it is easy to start a war but difficult to end it. Finishing a war is in the hands of God. The Indian Army is not naïve to know that Pakistan military will retaliate. It is more than prepared. But Mr. Khan, it is India that is retaliating. Pakistan has already waged a war surreptitiously through terrorists. The war is in the hands of humans, both beginning and ending it. Please do not invoke God, even Saddam Hussein used to wage ‘holy wars’ against his opponents in the name of God. Surely, God does not advise his children to use violence in any form.
Let us tell you Mr. Khan, India is not a war-mongering country, unlike Pakistan it is a peace-loving, multi-faith democratic country. It prevents its security forces from retaliating unarmed civilians who heckle or even manhandle them. Watch some videos from Kashmir to learn how our well armed security forces conduct themselves in the face of provocations in Kashmir valley.
But, Pakistan has changed it all by attacking our innocent forces through suicide bombers. Cross-border terrorists and at-home desperadoes not amenable to reason will be put down by force. Having exhausted all the options, India will have to take on the terrorist Pakistani-State in the interest of sanity and humanity.
You talk of election year in India. The Indian Army is apolitical enjoying support from everyone in the country across party, political, religious or any other affiliation. Army action is never an issue in the election unlike in Pakistan where the Army installs and dismisses governments, provides safe haven for terrorists.
Finally, you say, we must introspect on Kashmir. Yes we agree. We will introspect on letting you get away with a part of Kashmir. We demand that you vacate POK to let the accession of India be complete. We will retrieve it sooner than later as it is an unfinished task. We will introspect if you deserve any concession from us; we had given you the MFN status without any reciprocal gesture. We will introspect on how to treat the separatists. We will introspect on whether to touch your country with a barge pole or your supporters. We will introspect on Baloch who are crying for freedom from domination and exploitation by the Pakistani State. We will also introspect on your country playing the Islamic card when we have more Muslims in our country.
So Mr. Prime Minister of Pakistan, we were trying to wheedle you into peace and friendship, but you declare war on us. You are like a dog’s tail that will never be straight until it is cut off. We will respond to your unquenchable desire for a war. It has already begun in all fronts– diplomatic, economic, social and military.
Let us tell you that there are people in our country who wanted to give you a chance as the new Prime Minister since you sounded conciliatory. I was one among those, although we knew that you too are just a front of Pakistan Army like ISI or other agencies they manage.
You promise action, but make a laughable point of proof. You know the terrorists in your country. Will you arrest them and hand over those who are guilty of deaths of innocents in India? Then we will dialogue and resolve all the bilateral issues. Are you up to it? Will you stand up to your Army? If not, please stop sermonising us! —INFA