The Pulwama terrorist attack which killed 40 CRPF soldiers triggered the fiercest possible condemnation across India. The nation is on the boil, virtually fuming for revenge. The anger is palpable with leaders across the political spectrum training guns on Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi promises a befitting response while Arun Jaitley calls for a complete diplomatic isolation. There is zero mercy announced and the MFN status to Pakistan has been withdrawn. But how many times have we seen actions like these and how soon have we forgotten the pain that has been inflicted on the nation?
Terror attacks have been happening at regular intervals. Terrorists of various affiliations have been striking jawans and civilians at will. The Gurdaspur attack in 2015, the Pathankot attack in 2016, the Uri attack in 2016 where 20 army personnel were killed, the Sukma attack, the Bhopal-Ujjain train bombing, the Amarnath Yatra attack and the list goes on. Hundreds of innocent lives have been lost and all that Indian leaders have offered is condemnation and a promise of “standing shoulder to shoulder” with those in grief.
India boasts about it defence forces and ranks 4th strongest in the world on a global index of military strength, Pakistan stands 13th. We have a second largest force with nearly 14 lakh active military personnel, standing only behind China. Our defence might appear rock-solid on paper, but on the ground we continue to remain helpless against terror. There are chinks in our armoury. An online video doing its rounds showing an attack in Afghanistan using an explosive-laden vehicle surfaced two days before the attack, but it failed to catch the attention of our Intelligence. Terrorists keep exposing our loopholes. It took the Pulwama terror to open the eyes of Home Minister Rajnath Singh and change SOP on convoys.
The hallmark of our fight against terror is as inconsistent as the high seas. There is a complete slowdown of processes after the initial exasperation. India allowed bygones to be bygones a countless times, only to be battered and bruised at regular intervals. There is no consistent policy despite knowing well that terror is going to bleed us again. Promises and diplomatic initiatives against Pakistan that India is screaming about have always been half-hearted. Our resolve has wavered too soon. Except for a lone surgical strike, there is no significant retaliation and we continue to take pride in one retaliatory strike and continue to bask in its aftermath.
Isolating Pakistan internationally is not going to discourage terrorism. The Pulwama strike indicates that US has failed to persuade Pakistan to uproot its terror network. India needs to act swiftly and stand on its strength. We need to fight our own battles. India’s war against terror should be intense and ruthless. Leaders should refrain from politicizing actions of the military and rather understand the realities on the ground and there needs to be a completely clarity of thought. Separatists and their networks should be disabled and should be put outside the purview of J&K.
