President Obama has aptly remembered the resilience of Mumbaikars in such trying times. Mumbai has experienced 6 such serial blasts in the recent past- 1993, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008 and the recent one on July 13, 2011- and after every such wanton loss of life and property the City regained normalcy almost the following day or within a few days. So this July 13, 2011 carnage is no different and this is also borne with patience and courage. Well Barack Obama would be happy for Indian restraint and in turn would promise to make appropriate noise at the international forums to assuage Indian hurt feelings.
The Indian Prime Minister and Home minister would condemn this with strong words and would plead for restraint and calm, almost as a routine. Pakistan would wash its hands off any involvement of ISI and after being chided by the international media would seek proof for connection of this atrocity with its soil.
A section of the opposition parties would call for cancellation of further talks with the perpetrators- which by default is Pakistan- till firm measures are taken against the proven terrorist camps and extremists operating within Pakistan by Pak authorities. A section of the media would brand them as right wing fanatics and soon the discussion would veer in a different direction.
How a common man wishes- most of the victims are common men- that though we’ve lost out on so many occasions but we’d not lose the message and act steadfastly for a lasting solution. The following five pronged measure would address this issue holistically:
1. Engagement:
We are in a bind. We cannot stop talking with Pakistan. Yet nothing prevents us from engaging many more sympathetic sovereign ears. We must engage USA, without compromising with our sovereignty, and make them understand what we are going through. We’d also engage the general public of these states through media, after appropriately taking the national authorities of USA and EU into confidence. A professional approach would call for some lobby expenses and we’d not balk away from such expenses. In the long run these expenses would prove far more productive compared to expenses on aggressive military initiatives. The section of our populace, which has provided support to these terrorists, is also to be engaged on a regular basis. We must convince them to pronounce terrorists as terrorists and convince their followers to look down upon such acts and never to eulogize.
2. Community security:
All the while we cannot wash our hands by simply blaming a foreign state. The perpetrators of these crimes work within us and without support from ground zero these bombs cannot be planted or defused. Every Mumbaikar and for that matter every Indian is to be made aware about their duties regarding suspected terrorists and suspected terrorist acts. The culprits are to be nabbed before they succeed. When Rahul Gandhi says that the security agencies are successful on 99% of the occasions he says the truth yet we’ve to learn the lesson that we’ve to go beyond this and achieve the sixth sigma! Community policing is to be looked at with new perspectives and we’d try to emulate the perfection of “Mumbai Dabba walas” to devise a full proof system.
3. Public rebuff, speedy trial and exemplary punishment:
The real motivation for carrying out such crimes or being an accomplice comes from the sense of achievement and adulation that these misguided terrorists get from a section of the people. So our judicial delivery system has to be efficient to deal expeditiously with such terror suspects and terrorists. We do not need draconian Acts like TADA etc. What we need is speedy trial and quick justice delivery. Or else what would we do with the suspects nabbed? If the suspects are not punished for an infinitely long period – as is the case with Afzal Guru and Azmal Kasab- why would a common man risk his life in apprehending them? Besides, political misuse of Acts like TADA only creates more favorable ground for recruitment of terrorists. With all due respect to the judiciary; the present judicial system, which is crowded with so many cases, would not do. Like the envisaged ‘Lokpal’ -to stem corruption in high places- we need a separate organ which would administer criminal justice related to acts of terror.
4. Attack the breeding grounds:
Now we know where these operatives and sympathizers are bred. We can not do much for the ones operating beyond our borders. The ones operating in our own soil, we have to be more vigilant. We’ve to set out terms for the operation of these seminaries and having formulated those policies we’ve to firmly implement them. We must never fund such institutions where such anti-national activities are carried.
5. A strong political will
The leitmotif of the above approach is “Taking charge”; which translates into a strong political will in the context of a plural democracy. We need leaders who would take actions and would assume responsibility for their failures. People who are only known for blame games and recriminations would not be able to handle such situations squarely. So what does a common man do if he is saddled with a political baggage replete with indecisive leaders? Well; one, keep the fire on so that when the opportunities knock at the door one would seize them with open arms and two, WAIT for such opportunities and while waiting to spread the message to more and more number of concerned citizens so that gradually the balance would switch in his favor!
Last but not the least:
We must never stoop down to the level of those terrorists and think of retaliatory measures just to please our base instincts and which would come at the cost of our principles. Though the path of engagement may look an arduous one; actually that’s the best and looking at the plight of American’s- post Afghanistan and Iraq- we should not doubt Mahatma Gandhi when he said ‘the means must justify the ends’!.
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