A good step forward - India was invited by the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) recently as a guest of honour. The foreign minister Swaraj said there that the fight against terrorism is not a confrontation against any religion. This was the first time that India had participated in this meet. OIC projects itself as the voice of Muslim countries in the world. Bangladesh had proposed in 2018 that India be invited as an observer but Pakistan had opposed it. In fact Pakistan did not participate in the meet this year as India had been invited.
However since the hindu right appear to read nothing except their own toxic slogans, here is a primer on the genesis of the last few major terrorist attacks on India :
1. Most of the high profile terrorist attacks on india in the last few decades including the latest one at Pulwama, can be traced to Masood Azhar who was quickly released along with other jailed militants by the BJP govt. in 1999 when an Indian plane was hijacked.
2. The BJP govt. did not mount any operation to free the passengers on indian soil, reportedly under the influence of NK Singh (now a BJP politician and appointed chairman of the finance commission by the present Modi govt.). Singh was principal secretary to then PM Vajpayee when the hijack had taken place.
Singh's brother-in-law (b-in-law) was on board the plane (one among nearly 200 passengers) and many reports say NK Singh and another brother-in-law Nikhil Kumar, head of the National Security Guards (NSG) then, both of whom were in the crisis management group handing the hijack, focused on protecting their b-in-law on the plane from possible harm if the govt. took any action. In fact, no mock exercises had been held by NSG under the Vajpayee Govt. for two years, and as a result the crisis management group process was just on files.
3. The b-in-law on the plane - Tomar, a RAW officer had earlier received credible reports of a hijack attempt by terrorists from his junior but had dismissed them. There are no reports of him having provided any leadership on the plane in the midst of the crisis. Yet he was rewarded after the hijack with plum postings. The other b-in-law, NSG chief Nikhil Kumar, graduated to being a Congress politician and was governor of several states.
4. Having not taken any credible action on indian soil when the hijacked plane sat on the tarmac in Amritsar, the Indian govt. looked plain silly when it sought permission from the Pakistan government and then UAE govt., to mount an operation by indian commandos in Lahore and Dubai when the plane landed there. The permissions were refused by those countries. In contrast, a similar hijacking had been handled competently by the Narsimha Rao Govt. in 1993, again at the Amritsar airport.
5. The present national security advisor to india, Doval, was then the intelligence bureau chief and party to the crisis management - or lack of it. The shrill voices of the hijacked plane's passengers' families were not addressed with firmness to calm down, and the Government appeared to have quickly caved in to their demands to give in to the terrorists.
6. The Congress party had then said that the BJP’s soft approach laid the ‘foundation of terrorism’ not only in India but the world. The UK and the US have refused to negotiate with terrorists when their nationals have been kidnapped - some of those nationals were subsequently murdered by the terrorists. Experts had in fact warned during negotiations that 'giving in to release of militants in response to hijackers' demands will prove to be highly damaging to our national security and will endanger many more lives in future.'
7. Farooque Abdullah had strongly opposed India releasing terrorists held in indian jails on account of several kidnappings and murders, but was over-ruled by the Vajpayee Govt. Panun Kashmir, an association of Kashmiri Pandits had also strongly counselled the Government against releasing the jailed militants. In fact, Rupin Katyal's wife (the lone passenger who was stabbed to death by the terrorists) said a year after his death : 'What hurts is the fact that those responsible for my husband's death have managed to get what they wanted, the release of the militants, and they have all escaped unscathed.'
8. Three of the worst intelligence failures in recent decades happened under the Vajpayee government : Kargil, hijacking of IC-814, and the Parliament attack. There was even a complete failure on the diplomatic front during the hijacking as the developed nations refused to assist as needed, and did not buy the Indian assertion of Pakistan's ISI's involvement. Now, the Modi government is busy spreading disinformation on every front, focused only on increasing its vote bank.
Ceasefire violations increased by 1000 % under the Modi Government as compared to the UPA II tenure before it. Including the Pulwama attack, there have been 18 major terror attack under the Modi government, where huge intelligence failures have been implicated.
Behind all this present chest beating by the Hindu right in the name of national security is an immature team in the BJP government, focused on short term ends. It is not fit to lead India by any stretch of imagination.
However since the hindu right appear to read nothing except their own toxic slogans, here is a primer on the genesis of the last few major terrorist attacks on India :
1. Most of the high profile terrorist attacks on india in the last few decades including the latest one at Pulwama, can be traced to Masood Azhar who was quickly released along with other jailed militants by the BJP govt. in 1999 when an Indian plane was hijacked.
2. The BJP govt. did not mount any operation to free the passengers on indian soil, reportedly under the influence of NK Singh (now a BJP politician and appointed chairman of the finance commission by the present Modi govt.). Singh was principal secretary to then PM Vajpayee when the hijack had taken place.
Singh's brother-in-law (b-in-law) was on board the plane (one among nearly 200 passengers) and many reports say NK Singh and another brother-in-law Nikhil Kumar, head of the National Security Guards (NSG) then, both of whom were in the crisis management group handing the hijack, focused on protecting their b-in-law on the plane from possible harm if the govt. took any action. In fact, no mock exercises had been held by NSG under the Vajpayee Govt. for two years, and as a result the crisis management group process was just on files.
3. The b-in-law on the plane - Tomar, a RAW officer had earlier received credible reports of a hijack attempt by terrorists from his junior but had dismissed them. There are no reports of him having provided any leadership on the plane in the midst of the crisis. Yet he was rewarded after the hijack with plum postings. The other b-in-law, NSG chief Nikhil Kumar, graduated to being a Congress politician and was governor of several states.
4. Having not taken any credible action on indian soil when the hijacked plane sat on the tarmac in Amritsar, the Indian govt. looked plain silly when it sought permission from the Pakistan government and then UAE govt., to mount an operation by indian commandos in Lahore and Dubai when the plane landed there. The permissions were refused by those countries. In contrast, a similar hijacking had been handled competently by the Narsimha Rao Govt. in 1993, again at the Amritsar airport.
5. The present national security advisor to india, Doval, was then the intelligence bureau chief and party to the crisis management - or lack of it. The shrill voices of the hijacked plane's passengers' families were not addressed with firmness to calm down, and the Government appeared to have quickly caved in to their demands to give in to the terrorists.
6. The Congress party had then said that the BJP’s soft approach laid the ‘foundation of terrorism’ not only in India but the world. The UK and the US have refused to negotiate with terrorists when their nationals have been kidnapped - some of those nationals were subsequently murdered by the terrorists. Experts had in fact warned during negotiations that 'giving in to release of militants in response to hijackers' demands will prove to be highly damaging to our national security and will endanger many more lives in future.'
7. Farooque Abdullah had strongly opposed India releasing terrorists held in indian jails on account of several kidnappings and murders, but was over-ruled by the Vajpayee Govt. Panun Kashmir, an association of Kashmiri Pandits had also strongly counselled the Government against releasing the jailed militants. In fact, Rupin Katyal's wife (the lone passenger who was stabbed to death by the terrorists) said a year after his death : 'What hurts is the fact that those responsible for my husband's death have managed to get what they wanted, the release of the militants, and they have all escaped unscathed.'
8. Three of the worst intelligence failures in recent decades happened under the Vajpayee government : Kargil, hijacking of IC-814, and the Parliament attack. There was even a complete failure on the diplomatic front during the hijacking as the developed nations refused to assist as needed, and did not buy the Indian assertion of Pakistan's ISI's involvement. Now, the Modi government is busy spreading disinformation on every front, focused only on increasing its vote bank.
Ceasefire violations increased by 1000 % under the Modi Government as compared to the UPA II tenure before it. Including the Pulwama attack, there have been 18 major terror attack under the Modi government, where huge intelligence failures have been implicated.
Behind all this present chest beating by the Hindu right in the name of national security is an immature team in the BJP government, focused on short term ends. It is not fit to lead India by any stretch of imagination.
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