Multifaceted terrorism

Neeraj Dubey
In a global world,” The most serious issue, which is a challenge to human rights, is terrorism. The clouds of terrorism have shrouded the very beauty of human rights on the earth. The terrorism is present and prevalent almost in all the countries in the world in some form or the other”. Terrorism is a serious world problem not because of sheer amount of violence involved but because it constitute a threat to innocent life and right. Terrorism is a voluntary action to terrorize innocent people. The history of modern terrorism began with the French revolution and has evolved ever since. The most common causes or roots of terrorism include civilizations or culture clashes, globalization, religion, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. More personal or individual-based reasons for terrorism are frustration, deprivation, negative identity, narcissistic rage, and/or moral disengagement. Terrorism has no caste, creed region or religion. It has global dimensions. The 20th century witnessed great changes in the use and practice of terrorism, Terrorism became the hall mark of a number of political movements stretching from the extreme right to the extreme left of the political spectrum. You will need to be familiar with the five types of terrorism,” State-Sponsored terrorism, which consists of terrorist acts on a State or Government by a State or  Government. Dissent terrorism, which are terrorist groups which have rebelled against their government. Terrorists and the Left and Right, which are groups rooted in political ideology. Religious terrorism, which are terrorist groups which are extremely religiously motivated and Criminal Terrorism, which are terrorists acts used to aid in crime and criminal profit”. Apart from human terrorism which had posed serious threat for the whole world peace & security since long.
As we struggle to arrive at a consensus on relatively simpler issues such as definition of terrorism, terror groups are becoming deadlier by the day. From traditional forms of terrorism, we are now witnessing Cyber terrorism, Narco terrorism and Bio terrorism. Revolution in technology including the information technology has brought marked improvement in quality of life of the people. Ironically it has also given unprecedented destructive power in the hands  of the terrorists. We are a country full of diversity with multi lingual, multi religious and multi ethnic society. These conditions are actively utilized by anti-national elements and other enemies to foment trouble in our country. To counter such threats we need to undertake sound preventive and responsive security measures. Most of the terrorist attacks in India emanate from Pakistan which has been waging a proxy war against India in J&K and it will have to show some sincerity and take concrete steps to rein in the various terror groups operating against India from its soil. If Pakistan takes concrete action against terrorists on its territory it will not only improve the bilateral ties between both the countries but also bring peace and stability in the South Asian region. The Government of India will stand by Pakistan, if it takes decisive action against terrorists and their organizations. For India Mumbai and Pathankot terror attacks have signified a tectonic shift. However, it goes to the credit of our security forces and intelligence agencies that they not only prevented any damage to our capabilities and assets but also achieved it with minimum casualties to own security personnel.
OCyber Terrorism: – Cyber Terrorism is the premeditated use of disruptive activities, or the threat thereof, in cyber space, with the attention to further social, ideological, religious, political or similar objectives, or to intimate any person in furtherance of such objectives. Cyber-terrorism is relatively “young” in its evolution and has been associated with individuals, terrorist groups and state actors / countries – which in particular, could escalate into a Cyber War. Cyber war/ Terrorism include an intentional negative & harmful use of the information technology for producing destructive & harmful effects to the property, whether tangible or intangible, of others. For instance, hacking of a computer system and then deleting the useful and valuable business information of the rival competitor is a part and parcel of cyber-terrorism. The WannaCry–(Ransom-ware)–attack  was a May 2017  worldwide  cyber attack by the Wanna Cry  ransom-ware –crypto worm, which targeted computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system by encrypting data and demanding ransom payments in the bitcoin crypto currency. A series of powerful cyber attacks using Petya Malware began on 27 June 2017 that swamped websites of Ukrainian organizations, including banks, ministries, newspapers and electricity firms. Similar infections were reported in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, United Kingdom, the United States, India and Australia. ESET estimated on June 28, 2017 that 80% of all infections were in Ukraine, with Germany second hardest hit with about 9%. On 28 June 2017, the Ukrainian Government stated that the attack was halted. On 30 June 2017 the press reported experts agree Petya was sham ransom ware actually doing maximum damage and aimed at Ukraine.
ÒDrug Trafficking / Narco Terrorism: – Illicit drug trafficking is one the most significant transnational organized crimes, which has become a serious issue confronting both developing and developed countries. In most countries, despite years of drug suppression and prevention efforts, the cycle of drug trafficking and drug abuse continues. If allowed to remain unabated, the menace will considerably destroy the quality of life and hamper social, economic and cultural development of the nations. Drug smuggling/trafficking is a clandestine activity. Hence, it is impossible to assess its magnitude precisely. However, the quantity of drugs seized by enforcement agencies throw light to the alarming rate of illegal activities connected with drugs. Drug addiction causes immense human distress and the illegal production and distribution of drugs have spawned crime and violence worldwide. Today, there is no part of the world that is free from the curse of drug trafficking and drug addiction. Millions of drug addicts, all over the world, are leading miserable lives, between life and death. India too is caught in this vicious circle of drug abuse, and the numbers of drug addicts are increasing day by day. According to a UN report, One million heroin addicts are registered in India, and unofficially there are as many as five million. India accounts for 1.62% of the world’s seizures. The Union Home Minister,  Rajnath Singh has said that the drug problem is a serious threat to public health, safety and well-being of humanity. The Union Home Minister said that our global society is facing serious consequences of drug abuse and it undermines the socio-economic and political stability and sustainable development.
Besides, it also distorts the health and fabric of the society and it is considered to be the originator for petty offences as well as heinous crimes like smuggling of arms & ammunition and money laundering, he added.  Rajnath Singh further said that the involvement of various terrorist groups and syndicates in drug trafficking leads to threat to the national security and sovereignty of states by the way of Narco-terrorism. He further elaborated that drug trafficking and abuse has continued its significant toll on valuable human lives and productive years of many person around the globe. The author conclude this article by this beautiful quotation of India’s Prime Minister  Narendra Modi which says, “The choices we make now will shape the future of not just our countries, but the world at large. We should intensify our cooperation in confronting global challenges like Terrorism, Cyber Security, Drug Trafficking & Climate change.”
(The author is Sr Faculty-GCET Jammu)
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