Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing the valedictory meet of Commonwealth Legal Education Association-Commonwealth Attorneys and Solicitor General Conference in Delhi made an interesting statement, the message of which neither the political class nor the intellectual groups including the media could gauze properly.
In his address, while referring to the newly passed Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksga Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Act, replacing the colonial Acts, asserted that “Bharat is going to have most modern criminal justice system and assured justice in three year period time on the criminal acts committed in the country.
Amit Shah delved upon the crimes and criminal activities taking place beyond and across the borders and the most telling part of his assertion came then when he added that “crimes and criminals are not respecting the geographical boundaries and so the enforcement agencies should not be considering the borders as a hindrance while dealing with them.”
This is not a simple statement, but a statement must have been made after a long thought and strategic discussion at the highest level, to deliver a clear message to terror groups and also to all those countries which are harbouring the anti-Indian extremists/terrorists on their soils and that includes the Pakistan and Canada, whose legal representatives are in the audience. Amit Shah’s assertive statement on dealing with the anti-India terror groups and their leaders is also a clear message to USA and other members of Five Eyes Alliance who are not promptly acting against the organised terrorists based on their soil.
The Home Minister of India couldn’t have chosen a better and opportune time and forum to exhibit the muscular assertive power of new Bharat under the present dispensation. In one way the message to the USA is not to brag on the ‘respect to the territories of the nation’ as it lacks moral authority to lecture other countries.
Amit Shah indirectly hinted that India at present can do anything in any way it chooses to hunt down the terrorists sheltered by vested interests as US administration has done in killing the Osama-bin-Laden in the Pakistan territory. The second message is straight to Pakistan based Islamic terrorists of LeT, Jaish-e- Mohammad, Hizbul Mujahideen, Al-Badr Mujahideen etc., and their handlers to take note of the new Bharatiya Laws framed for early trial and punishment of criminals. The days of feeding the terrorists with chosen Biryanis, as was done for Kasab, was over. Bharat has arrived on the international scene with new courage and conviction to take straight on terrorists of all shades.
The terrorists, their handlers and nations extending direct and indirect support to the terrorist groups are worried at the assertive ‘Bharat Decade’ as during this time more anti-India terrorists died on the foreign soil rather than on Indian Territory. In almost all those deaths, there was no evidence to suggest the involvement, either direct or indirect, of India. The counter-terrorism dynamics initiated by the Indian Security Agencies is baffling the other nations and they are unsure of Indian strategy and the means to counter India.
Amit Shah was indirectly addressing, through his assertiveness, leaders like Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and US President Joe Biden, who are trying to garner the Sikh and Pakistan origin Muslim voters, in the forthcoming national elections of their countries, through their unsubstantiated allegations against Indian agencies in the killings of Khalistan terrorists in their countries. Canadian PM Trudeau cited “credible evidence” ,while making a statement on the Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing, on the involvement of Indian agents but failed to produce any concrete evidence even after 8 months of investigation by his country.
This is followed by the US Justice Department, in November last, charging Indian origin US/Canada citizen Nikhil Gupta with planning to kill US citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The Biden administration was quick to allege about the involvement of Indian agencies in the planned elimination of Pannun and asserted its responsibility to safeguard the life of its own citizens. None can object to the responsibility of US towards safety of its citizens, but that country can’t feign ignorance regarding the hate filled activities of Pannun and his associates who were proclaimed Khalistan terrorists, funding anti-Indian activities on US soil.
Khalistan terrorist Pannun was vocal and open in issuing threats to blow up new Indian parliament building during its inaugural session, he also threatened to blow up Ayodhya temple on the eve of its consecration and he also publicly threatened to blow up Air-India flight on the mid-Atlantic, a repeat of Kanishka blow up of early 1980s. Despite all those videos of Pannun originating from US and Indian government providing the evidence regarding his terror activities, there was no action from the US administration on the Khalistan terrorist. India is insisting ‘action first from their side on proclaimed offender’ basing evidence provided and then talk about the alleged involvement of Indian agencies with evidences.
It is their domestic compulsions and electoral priorities which are allegedly making those leaders complacent with the terror groups. However, despite their massive media hype carried through the western media Canada and America failed to garner support from other nations to their allegation of Indian agencies involvement in the elimination of their citizens. So they brought in Pakistan, a hot bed for international Islamic terrorists, to buttress their allegation. They made Pakistan to join the chorus song of “extra territorial killings” and “Indian murderers for hire”. The Pakistan, taking cue from US, said that there were mysterious deaths of the persons on their soil but couldn’t provide the details of the persons, beyond the names of those killed, as such a detailing will confirm their involvement in providing base to the designated terrorists. Pakistan instead of providing the evidence to Indian authorities to take the probe further dragged China, a known India baiter, into the scene to keep the issue burning. Now China suggest that India should come out with facts and India rejected it as a ridiculous, unacceptable suggestion. This collective attempt to blame India without evidence is testing its patience and that may prompted Amit Shah’s loaded response to them.
Independent agencies reported the elimination of terrorists, both Khalistan and Islamic, by unidentified persons, in Pakistan and other countries. Besides Hardeep Singh Nijjar, five other Khalistani terrorists were killed during the last two years. While Avatar Singh Khanda who died in Birmingham hospital had the history of targeting Indian high commission in London, the two were killed in Lahore city of Pakistan while the other two were felled in Canada. It is also a fact that Harvinder Singh Sabdhu, the criminal linked to the killing of the Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, and Paramjit Singh Panjwar were living in Lahore for several years with the protection of Pakistani authorities. Those got killed in Canada include Sukhdool Singh and the Ripudaman Singh Malik, an accused in 1985 Air India flight bombing. They were all hardened criminals and were running criminal gangs in the countries they have adopted. The intra and inter gang rivalry was well known and the hawala rackets they run is also known. Gun battles between those gangs with in the religious places were recorded earlier. The deaths of these terrorists can only be attributed to those gangs and not for Indian agencies as our Home and External affairs ministry argue.
The foreign powers wish to corner India through these allegations, as they are uncomfortable with the massive challenge Modi government is posing to the established supremacy order through its newly coined Bharat first policy. The hard diplomacy brought by the Minister for External Affairs Jaishankar and the national security paradigm implemented by the national security adviser Ajit Doval in counter terrorism strategies are proving to be hard nuts to crack for the powers which were ruling the roost till now. From soft defensive, smooth talk foreign policy of past ministers, the current Indian EAM Jaishankar’s aggressive replies on the international forums without mincing words, talking openly about Indian interest first showed the critics their own place. The statements like “Europe is still living in the past”, “India is no more a sleeping giant but an awakened to its natural role and leadership in the world affairs”, “like America, India too had its own interests to protect” are some of the statements of Jaishankar now on the record are unheard from Indian leaders a decade ago. Counter terrorism activities were unleashed through proactive measures of busting the terrorists in their foreign dens. These strategies coupled with the economic growth, firm resolve to be the developed nation by 2047, the confidence of the current leadership are all the ingredients which must have helped in the draft of such a powerful speech of Amit Shah. Now it is difficult for others to challenge us.
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