Monday, January 26, 2009

The Serenity Prayer

Oh Lord, Please give me the courage to change what I can change in this world, the serenity to peacefully accept what's beyond my control to change and the wisdom to know the difference.

May everyone in the universe find eternal inner peace.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Let's look beyond the Blame-game for a solution to cross border terrorism

Everyday I look at the headlines and find exactly the same thing being repeated. India blames Pakistan for the 26/11 terror attacks, Pakistan denies these allegations. Over and over again. I think its time we, Indians realized the futility of playing this 'blame-game' and not waste any more time expecting Pakistan to own up to any of the crimes it has been accused of, regardless of who the actors were, state or non-state. Its time we accepted that if Pakistan of its own free will wants to pursue a policy of raging a proxy war against India by supporting and giving refuge to terrorist outfits, there is no way we can stop it from doing so. What we can do is find ways and means to thwart their attempts and frustrate their evil plans. The reason why Pakistan (or non-state agencies within Pakistan) think its worth their while to pour in resources to fuel cross border terrorism in India is because they see the gaping holes in our own law and order system and the fallout of divisive politics within the country that they can take advantage of. If these holes were plugged would they be so forthcoming? If we took our anti terrorism laws such as POTA and NIA seriously and our law enforcement agencies and judiciary were free of political interference to act promptly and efficiently, would terrorists from across the border dare to act with such impugnity? I doubt it. No one wants to fight a lost battle, however ideologically charged they may be. I am sure they would seek out other 'easier' targets and divert their attention somewhere else. And while we clean up our house, we Indians should take some time for some serious introspection and ask ourselves the question most pertinent to our democracy at this point in time: what does secularism really mean to us? Isn't it time that Hindus and Muslims in India decided that this land has place only for those who can practice religious tolerance and live in mutual respect and that its high time that those that have other ideas should be prepared to be marginalized? This would put an end to the never ending debate about whether religious minorities in India are being given a raw deal and if they, in their festering resentment, are turning into allies for terrorist outfits from outside the country. It would also help us sieve out who exactly is 'with us' and whose allegiance lies elsewhere. Then when people are arrested under NIA, politicians will not be able to waste the nation's time crying crocodile tears over the so called 'ill treated minorities'.

Many people have been talking about bombing Pakistan 'to the stone age' as an act of retaliation, getting tired of the same headlines that I started this blog with. But I think bombing Pakistan would not only play into the hands of the terrorists because that's exactly what they want, it would ultimately proove to be counter productive. The real solution lies in getting our own act together like never before, in what I would term a true act of 'gandhigiri'. Let's frustrate the enemy. Let's do what's not expected of us. Let's surprise the world. We know that partly the anger that some people especially those running terrorist camps in Pakistan have against India is because we are secular, democratic, open -minded and of late, getting far richer than them. Let's make this a double whammy. Let's add 'safe' and truly 'anti-terror' to the list. I am sure the masterminds of the 26/11 attack and those of their kind will put a gun to their own heads and shoot themselves in utter frustration. It'll save us all the time and money that's been flushed down the drain, running between Delhi, Islamabad and Washington D.C with dossiers no one wants to take seriously.

PS: One thing that has been worrying me (like many other thinking Indians) is whether our lack of 'visible' aggression is sending out the wrong message to the world and to the terrorists, who possibly understand only one language, that of violence and terror. Is our strength being misinterpreted as cowardice or weakness? Or worse still, isn't it better to vent some anger than to bottle it all up inside like a pressure cooker about to explode? But then the voice of reason tells me, to hell what anyone else thinks. This battle cannot be won overnight. Its better to bide our time and act wisely, than to lash out wildly in rage and lose everything in the bargain. Let's learn from the mistake that the US made in attacking Iraq seething from the blind rage of 9/11....it has so far served no constructive purpose than to have made the world an even less safer place than before.