One of the reasons why India is targeted by terrorists so frequently is that we are considered as a soft state?all over the world. This is clear from the fact that very small countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, which were parts of this country a few decades ago, are not afraid of breeding terrorists in those countries. It is well known that there are terrorists training camps in Pakistan and many criminals involved in 1993 bomb blasts and the hijackers of the Indian Airlines plane in December 1999 have sought refuge in Pakistan. We do not take any drastic action against the countries involved in acts against our interests. In democracy, people get the government that they deserve. Therefore, if our governments are coward, the basic reason must be that we, Indians, by and large, are also so. It is high time, therefore, to see that all of us gave up our cowardice. The situation is so grave that we cannot afford to be cowards. It is the question of our very survival.
The terrible loss of life in trains on the Western Railway in the evening of 7/11 and the current atmosphere of hoax phone calls about bombs at railway stations and elsewhere in Mumbai, Delhi and Aligarh, rumours, panic etcetera is the result of apathy of our citizens for a long time to the threat posed by terrorism, thanks to Pakistan. This time people should not forget the heinous act of terrorists as in the past in the case of blasts in a Ghatkopar bus, Gateway of India, Mumbai Central station, Vile Parle, Mulund Railway station, Karnavati Express on the Ahmedabad Railway platform etcetera and 13 serial bomb blasts on 12 March 1993. It is because we ignored the horrible consequences of those blasts and the sad fact that our governments and the judiciary failed completely to take stringent punitive action against the perpetrators of the crimes involved in those instances that the enemy dared attack us again. This time all of us must swear that we shall not leave any stone unturned until the concerned authorities bring to book the terrorists involved in the train blasts. Otherwise tomorrow you or your relatives will be victims of similar bomb blasts in the near future.
That our Central government has no will to take effective action against terrorism is clear from the fact that it continues to have peace talks with Pakistan despite its continuing with training camps for terrorists in its territory and supplying them with RDX, weapons and funds.
We must go to the extent of declaring Pakistan as a terrorist country and persuade the world to do so. We must think also of the option of destroying the terrorist training camps in the POK, unless Pakistan does it so. We must emulate Israel and remove our image in the world that we are a timid and soft state. We must appreciate the combing operation being carried out by the Maharashtra police in Mumbai in sensitive areas, since without local support it is not possible to carry out the bomb blasts so meticulously.
We must not keep quiet unless the culprits involved in the bomb blasts of 7/11 are found out, tried and sentenced to the gallows. We must see to it that all the cases of previous bomb blasts are expedited and the guilty are hung. The terrorists found recently with deadly weapons AK – 47 and RDX are reported to have taken shelter in the MLAs hostel, the AMDAR NIWAS in Mumbai. This incident must be looked into seriously and the guilty politicians must be dealt with immediately.
It is shame that while terrorists attacking the red fort, the Parliament and Akshardham temple, Ayodhya, and Raghunath temple are found to hail from Pakistan, we give a red carpet welcome to the Pakistan'sPresident, General Musharraf, whereas we protest against the visit by the US President George Bush for his attack on Iraq, which is less concerned with this nation'sinterest. It reflects very badly on the patriotism and wisdom of our countrymen. More than 200 of us were killed and more than 700 wounded because we allowed the criminals involved in the serial bomb blasts of 12 March 1993 to go scot-free so far. One criminal involved, namely Sanjay Dutt, a TADA detenu, wielding AK-56 during communal riots of 1993 is moving freely in the country and abroad with court'spermission. No wonder that this diluted Sanjay Dutt'sheinous role in the bomb blasts in 1993 and the case is being dragged on despite the passage of 13 long years. Many involved in the blasts are at large and some of them are known to be hiding in Pakistan.
Learning lessons from past, now, all Indian citizens in general, and Mumbaikars, in particular, must tell politicians that they do not require praise but action from politicians. Not only in Mumbai, but also in all places, after bombs exploded, people started their routine life as usual. In Delhi, where explosions had taken place on the eve of Diwali last year, it was so. Even while doing their routine jobs, people must not forget the deaths of their innocent co-citizens and must try to find out ways to avoid such incidents in future. People must demand action against perpetrators of the heinous act and do not rest satisfied until the criminals are traced and hung. People must demand action in the case of all previous bomb attacks.
Politicians want people to forget such incidents and engage themselves in their routine work, as it is convenient to the former. They do not wish people to think at length and get criticized. Most of the undesired political incidents take place because of some lapses on the part of politicians. For example in this case politicians of certain parties can be criticised for withdrawing the POTA and for being soft to Pakistan despite the latter'sinvolvement in the bomb blasts.
(The writer can be contacted at 187/5235 Sanmati Society Pant Nagar, Ghatkopar Mumbai-400 075.)
