Terrorism contained and incarcerated

Comparing with the previous regime of the UPA, the BJP led NDA dispensation at the centre has brownie points in containing terrorist violence which used to punctuate the country and confine it to a few districts of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in the Kashmir valley. This, verily cannot be termed as an assumption based statement of the country’s Home Minister Rajnath Singh but to a larger extent, a judgment of the issue in totality. Not only have record number of terrorists been killed including their self styled leaders and ideologues in pitched battles and their arms and ammunition seized and destroyed but the sponsoring, supporting, arming and motivating force behind terrorists and terror related activities having been humbled , cornered and fairly exposed . Economic sanctions in the form of withdrawing the MFN status , restricting the flow of water from our rivers which under the Indus Water Teaty we were not using and ensuring that the terror manufacturing country became internationally isolated due to the undaunted but matured diplomatic expeditions pursued by the Indian Government during the last five years cannot be overlooked.
The ‘other view’ floated by the opposition for ‘obvious reasons’ that more security personnel got martyred than during the equal number of years previously, can safely be set aside on the premise that during active operations and hot pursuits , counter attacks were a natural consequence but the fact remains that more or less, due to a well devised and planned Action Plan, country as a whole, remained free of any terror related violence and if any, it remained confined to some parts of Jammu and Kashmir only. Referring to this achievement, the Home Minister appears to be right in his assessment that it all could happen simply because of “adequate precautions” and “action plan” put into force. Speaking a tale of suffering by a victim country , otherwise traditionally believer in peace and harmony, on account of reeling under the scourge of cross border terrorism and facing proxy war from Pakistan , India reversed the flawed notion of putting the trouble maker on the same pedestal and footing as the victim country, earlier by Dr. Manmohan Singh saying , “Not only India but Pakistan was also a victim of terrorism” . In this context , see the contrast of the views in Oct 2011 of the then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton conveying clearly and resolutely to Pakistan, “You cannot keep snakes in your backyard and expect them to bite your neighbours only .” We cannot comment on other previous diplomatic goofs by Indian leadership like in Sharm-el -Sheikh when Indian leadership supported Pakistan in this issue and one more connected thereto through a joint statement . This time , Pakistan is at the receiving end and India has asserted its position on terrorism in unambiguous manner and the same having been acknowledged by the world community as well which was manifest in the UNSC declaring Azhar Masood as an international terrorist, Matured and cultivated Indian diplomacy resulted in China too falling in line despite its “commitment of solid friendship” with Pakistan. The same has been described as a major diplomatic success of Modi Government which , however, did not feel discouraged by persistent hurdles put in the process by China.
We can read in between the lines of various issues dealt with by the Home Minister while addressing a press conference wherein he focussed mainly on containment of terror from across the border while ruling out categorically, the possibility of there being no such act in the future, while drawing satisfaction from the precautions and the action plan employed by the Government. The main issue of “whose Government after May23” , building lot of interest and curiosity in the people, Rajnath Singh appeared optimistic about ‘securing more seats than in 2014’ . Well, that remains to be seen as, not in days now but in hours, the wait is reckoned . It, however, goes without saying that the same quantum of pressure and the degree and non- negotiability in respect of the Government’s policy in fighting terrorism has to be maintained looking to immense threat perceptions, Sri Lankan incident being a grim reminder.

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