Surinder Koul
“Don’t link terror to any religion or ethnic group” was bellowed by Sushma Swaraj, Indian Foreign Minister, in Shanghai Corporation Organisation held on 30 Nov to 1st Dec, in Sochi, Russia. By this statement at a summit, what does she wants to convey to member countries,which constitutes representatives of eight countries out of which three are observers? Main objectives of this international body are to promote cooperation and mutual support among the member states to fight the menace of terrorism, separatism and extremism. Since, Indian administration had been encountering onslaught of terrorism , militancy on many fronts for last three decades as compared to rest of the member countries, so Indian delegation is supposed to be brewed with concrete and tangible proposal to nip the evil in bud. Indian administration had dealt with Sikh terrorism, Muslim terrorism, Maoist armed insurgency, Naga insurgency and are still handling political uprising and upheavals in one form or the other within their ambit, so they are better experienced and equipped with new ideas and thought based on dissected volumes of researched document on terrorism/ militancy, how to quell such social evil of separatism, extremism and terrorism. This plethora feedback could have germinated novel ideas and measures which could be introduced to overcome devastating challenges of terrorism, radicalisation and fissiparous tendencies within the member countries and rest of the world. India’s emphasis ought to have been expedience of extradition treaty among the member countries for quick and fast hand over of the culprits to the country of origin without any impediments of human right issues etc. Secondly, each member country should in broader interest respect the laws under which the culprit is framed by the country of origin without giving it any political or communal colour in sending accused back to his country. Thirdly, member countries should not render moral and diplomatic support to terrorist kingpins who are responsible for violence and incubating terrorist gangs under their auspices for launching them in neighbouring countries. Evidently, we have example of duplicity played by China in vetoing at UNSC against labelling of Jaish Mohammad chief as wanted terrorist, when both China and India are the members of the forum, which predicates for cooperation among the countries bring wrong doers to book. Indian origin suspects like Dawood Ibrahim, Salludin, HM chief and many others are stuck up in Pakistan awaiting their repatriation to India for conviction Vijay Mallya charged for defrauding Indian bank and depriving a section of Kingfisher employee of their hard earned remuneration against the work done by them for Vijay Mallya’s company is fugitive Indian as British citizen. These are very ripe issues where thrust ought to have been for the delivery of justices in international forums. Instead of that, the preamble of the statement given by the Foreign Minister on such broad canvass looks too shallow; she was not addressing election rally or any gathering in India where she has to bat for communal balance.
Unfortunately, within the political circle of the country, it is in vogue to rant that terrorism has no religion. By this design of wording, political leaders are playing safe for their electoral constituencies. It is jittery for them if they raise their finger against the actual group which perpetuates violence, indulge in money laundering and sabotage or run a subversive alliance for breaking the territorial integrity of the country. The worst drawback of democracy in the context of India is the deep rooted vote bank politics. Social arithmetic’s in India is so divided in caste, sub caste, sects, religions, regionalism and languages from centuries; which had been further widened by exigencies of ruling class earlier and later on by new political class that emerged in post independent India. Congress party too followed same divide and rule formula to perpetuate their governance by enticing the support of upper caste Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Schedule caste, Schedule tribe in particular ratio to reach magical number 35% votes to form the Government. It became a clear cut motif for all class of political groups to manipulate election output at the cost of vertical divide of the already fragmented Indian society to a point of no return. To maintain the caste wise, community wise, religion wise, component of their electoral vote bank, political leadership pounced upon quota reservation, reserved constituencies and special favours to one community by doling out subsidies on pilgrimage, hosting of tea parties in fasting month not by the head of the county but by most of the political parties. Even donning of their skull caps and wrapping of red checked cloth around the neck became the routine with them for electoral gains and to prove their secular credential were their political gimmick. Now from the date Kashmir terrorism supported by Pakistan military establishment turned out unending devastating proxy war against India and makes it bleed from thousand cuts; Indian state has been fighting back this onslaught militarily and diplomatically in international forums. All state craft in Indian armoury is being used by Indian Govt. to force Pakistan to dissuade from breeding of terrorism from their soil and refrain from pushing Pakistan trained terrorist into India.
To circumvent, any direct reference to a religion for terrorism, a new ploy is in vogue for last so many years that Terrorism has no religion. Many motor mouthed leaders from various parties gave the same connotation to terrorism and to terrorist groups. Persons like Dalia Lama a spiritual guru, Manmohan Singh former Prime Minister, Sonia Gandhi Congress President, M.Venkaiah Naidu Vice President of India, Syed Zamina Raza President Anjaminu-e-Imamia have subscribed to this argument that terrorism has no religion. It looks most dismaying to know persons of intellectual repute propound the same view on terrorism and terrorist who let loose reign of terror across the world. Why, these political figures, authors/ academician and religious gurus pretend to be blind to hard facts about the cause of terrorism? Suicide bombers can’t be produced merely by giving money unless and until the one carrying the detonators in one’s vest is fully convinced and mentally prepared to sacrifice one’s life for a cause. There must be objective or purpose or some ideological zeal. So what is that motivating factor that drags even qualified person to succumb to that extremism? One has to call spade a spade to draw the correct analogy in the interest of humanity and its development.
Assuming for political vote bank politics inter played for decades by many parties in the country that terrorism has no religion; then the imminent question arises why all terrorist outfits are bearing religious symbols, insignia, slogan and ideology as creed of the terrorist organizations.
Taking other parameters of these terrorist outfits such as ideological pursuits and its methodology to achieve the grand objective in account are evident enough to prove its religious dimension.
With all these open propagation both through religious congregation and radicalisation supported by arms, how can one draw the line to proclaim that terrorism has no religion. It is either hypocrisy on behalf of the politicians and intellectual who coin such sentences or they are pulling wool on their eyes or don’t want to antagonize particular terrorist class for obvious reason. Politicians have their own axes to grind but what is wrong with World renowned spiritual leaders in pouring their wisdom to overhaul, or reorient these rouge class of misguided people?
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