‘Terrorists have to be exterminated’
Tarun Upadhyay
JAMMU, May 18: Former National Security Advisor (NSA) M K Narayanan has said there is no such entity as a Pakistani state but there is a Pakistani terrorist state and it needs to be punished.
“We are dealing with a state that has no reason to be called a state. It is a state that believes in terror, that has no belief in humankind, and no value for human life,” he said
Narayanan, who served as NSA during Manmohan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee Governments, had advocated for stronger counter-terrorism strategies and national security reforms. He had deep involvement in shaping India-Pakistan security dynamics, Kashmir policy, and border negotiations. He spoke at length about how recent Indo-Pak clash could shape geo-political situation at a conclave oranised by leading national English Daily.
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“..Where terrorists seem to have the upper hand in many places, you have to exterminate the terrorists.. I think our response should now be to go after them. We’ve done something, but I think we are still striking conservatively. Our initial strikes were only on terrorist camps. We should now go hard after them.” said Narayanan.
Ex NSA, who advocates for muscular policy in dealing with Pakistan, holds the view that dismemberment of Pakistan is only way to get rid of Pak problem and bring peace in the region,
Narayanan said: “ We should now go all out. We should be prepared for war with Pakistan. It should be a war which will lead to dismember the Pakistani state. That should be the objective.”
Narayanan is apparently alluding to the regional and sectarian faultlines in the Pakistan which can be exploited to India’s advantage. Balochistan region of Pakistan is up in arms against Islamabad for quite long and there is strong feeling for secession. The Pakistan state is itself under attack from terrorist groups like Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which have control in many parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) where the writ of Pak state has withered away, he said.
Former NSA said the world wouldn’t care much if Pakistan is dismembered as the only interest the world has in South Asia is to keep tension between India and Pakistan brewing.
He said if Pakistan is divided, much of the world may be equally happy or equally unhappy, the rest of the world has no real interest in South Asia, except to create trouble between India and Pakistan. “But what the rest of the world is truly unwilling to accept is the idea of India becoming a world power. They do not want us to rise,” said Narayanan.
“That’s why we are still not a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council — despite the fact that we are superior to at least three of the five permanent members. Ever since I entered this field, India has been trying to get a permanent seat at the UN Security Council, and it has been deliberately and wantonly denied to us”.
He said India made a mistake by not properly interpreting the statement of Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir, delivered seven days before the Pahalgam attack. In that speech, Munir declared that Kashmir is Pakistan’s “jugular vein” and that Pakistan is the only second state in history founded on the Kalma—the Islamic declaration of faith. According to Naryanan, we did not heed that message. “ This war is, therefore, a byproduct of that kind of misjudgment.”
Narayanan said, “Imagine a Chief of Army Staff in any civilized nation making such a statement. Had we not been as restrained and civilized as we are, this could easily have been taken as a direct call to war—perhaps even prompting preemptive action through our special forces or other means.”
Speaking on the broader conflict, he added, “Peace, I believe, is not at hand. We are preparing for war . In the past, we gave in to the belief that we lived in a civilizational world. But as Israel has shown, if you are hit, you must hit back harder. Pakistan has struck us on four separate occasions—we must not forget that lesson.”
Narayanan went on to say, “I believe the political leadership and the armed forces are aware of what needs to be done. But the nation as a whole still has to make up its mind. Indians are naturally peace-loving and reluctant to take lives unnecessarily. However, I believe we now need to send a clear message to Pakistan—even if that means civilian casualties—that India cannot be trifled with.”
He said: “We partially dismembered Pakistan with the creation of Bangladesh, but that, in my view, remains the only meaningful lesson so far. I do not see a future where lasting peace is possible unless the Pakistani military is either decisively decimated—which is unlikely—or its power is significantly weakened.
“Imran Khan was perhaps the closest Pakistan leader who did weaken Pak Army but he was imprisoned. Whenever momentum builds toward reconciliation, the Islamic Generals step in and derail it. Nawaz Sharif was also among the few Prime Ministers well-positioned to improve bilateral ties, yet he too was removed by the military.”
“The reality is stark: no leader in Pakistan who supports peace with India can survive politically. Therefore, the only viable path forward is the eclipse of Pakistan as we know it—or, at the very least, the dismantling of its military dominance,” said Narayanan.
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