New Delhi, 1 May 2007   

In the Midst of Terrorism

INDIA’S ECONOMIC EFFORTS TO SUFFER

By Dr. Chintamani Mahapatra

School of International Studies, JNU

Is nuclear India safe in this era of growing threats posed by all kinds of terrorist groups? Is India’s military machine sufficiently equipped to tackle the ever-growing terrorist threats?

India today is surrounded by countries afflicted with terrorism? Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka—almost all of India’s neighbours are facing this threat. Iraq and Indonesia in India’s extended neighbourhood have also become the battleground of terrorism.

India also has been waging a long war against terrorism within its borders. No part of India is safe, whether North, South, East or West.  Perhaps no country in the world has lost more people in acts of terrorism than India since the end of the Cold War. For a long time, India warned the international community of the rising threat of terrorism to regional security. Faced with terrorism perpetrated by the ULFA in Assam, Khalistanis in the Punjab and a host of terrorist groups in Kashmir, India sought to sensitize the international community on the dangers of terrorism. India at length spoke of cross-border terrorism in Kashmir and highlighted the need for international cooperation.

But India’s views and appeals fell on deaf ears until the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001. The US launched a global war against terrorism since then. The international community came forward to assist the US in tackling this menace. But more than six years after that, the world appears to have become more unsafe than before.

The latest report on global terrorism released by the US Department of State has stated that terrorist acts in 2006 increased by 25 per cent from that of 2005. The locus of maximum terrorist acts has continued to be West Asia and South Asia. About 90 per cent of all 290 high-casualty attacks by the terrorist groups took place in this region. While most terrorist incidents took place in Iraq and Afghanistan, India has to take note of the fact that countries which traditionally did not face this problem have begun to do so.

Pakistan, for instance, known for long as a country that incubated terrorist groups, itself has become a victim of rising number of terrorist attacks in recent years, The North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, where Islamabad never had adequate control, has become cite of terrorist activities. Other cities of Pakistan have also witnessed acts of terrorism. Nepal, a peace loving Hindu Kingdom, recently experienced terrorist acts by ideological extremist organization, namely the Maoists. Certain parts of India appear to be in the tight grip of Naxalites—once again ideologically motivated militants.

Sri Lanka has been struggling with Tamil terrorists, namely the LTTE, for decades without any real solution in sight. Isolation of the LTTE in the international community in the post-9/11 era has not weakened this organization.  Once known for its human bombs, the LTTE has demonstrated its military muscle by launching air attacks on selected targets and launching naval attacks on the high seas. The Rapid Action Battalion of Bangladesh has similarly been seeking to deal with the JMV or Jamaatul Mujahedin Bangladesh. But political instability in that country is presenting the terrorist groups, including some from India, to have a field day and a safe haven.

In this age of globalization, terrorist groups have an international networking. The States have realized that terrorism is no longer a domestic phenomenon. They have cross-border as well as international connectedness. This makes it difficult for any single Government to deal with such groups without international cooperation.

India has no doubt tried to engage the international community in its war against terrorism. India has counter-terrorism working groups with 16 countries, including the United States. It has also very actively engaged the European Union and the BIMSTEC countries in counter-terrorism measures. Yet the problem persists.

Scholars have thrown much light on the causes of terrorism, law enforcement authorities have understood the modus operandi of terrorist organizations and Governments have forged international cooperation, yet the menace is not under control and rather getting worse.

India’s security dilemma arises from its geography, partly being in the centre of South Asia and sharing border with all South Asian countries. Anti-India terrorists seek safe havens and sanctuaries in neighbouring states and terrorist groups from other countries too have some presence in India. The warning issued by a prominent national daily, The Hindu, is indeed timely. It says: “the time has come to remind the Congress-led Government at the Centre that foreign policy, even when it involves Sri Lanka, must be made in New Delhi—not in Chennai, and certainly not under the influence of pro-LTTE parties. It has become abundantly clear that the banned terrorist organization…has emerged as a security problem for India.”

While international cooperation to face the rising peril posed by terrorist groups is appropriate, India needs to do a lot at home. In this regard, the observation made by the US State Department in its latest report on global terrorism is worth examining. It says:

“India's counter-terrorism efforts were hampered by its outdated and overburdened law enforcement and legal systems. The Indian court system was slow, laborious, and prone to corruption; terrorism trials can take years to complete. An independent Indian think tank determined that the thousands of civilians killed by terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir from 1988 to 2002 received justice in only 13 convictions through December 2002; most of the convictions were for illegal border crossing or possession of weapons or explosives. Many of India's local police forces were poorly staffed, trained, and equipped to combat terrorism effectively.”

The single most challenge to the growing Indian economy and India’s aspiration to play an important role in global affairs comes from terrorist groups of South Asia. Unless tackled properly, India’s political dream and economic efforts cannot be realized.---INFA

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