Do we have it in us??

This is in response to "Take the battle into the enemy’s camp" by Vir Sanghvi in Hindustan Times dated Feb 23rd 2010.


Vir Sanghvi, Congratulation, you indeed have broken the mould, while majority from your profession are still advocating jawing as a viable means to overcoming a serious issue of terrorism.

The four scenarios put forward by you are absolutely valid and do not need any extra grey cells in any of us to accept these. Yes the willingness of Pakistan is an established fact known to one and all in this country.

I wish during the course of your conversation with the Prime Minister you would have reminded him that Morality is not a seasonal fruit that is available in a fixed time frame or a migratory bird which visits India and its political setup on any predetermined date. If morality was to be the bench mark of Indian government then it has failed miserably on this score. Selective use of this idiom in case of tackling terror will cause more destruction.

While a lot of Indians are going to focus on what is written by you and shall ignore the implicit message that is contained in this article. Open armed conflict with Pakistan on the issue of terror is a given it is only a matter of time and the events leading to it.

26/11 is a paradigm shift in how India is going to be challenged by the terrorists with active support from our neighbour, let us not delude ourselves any more. The level and intensity in terms of targets, causalities and prominence of the complex(s) and individuals is what will determine our response to such an event.

India must reflect in all seriousness, do we want an endless number of Indians as victims of terror, do we want to be a nation with a large number of War Widows and Orphans, or sacrifice a small number in covert actions. We are going to lose a number of Indians in this effort of containing terrorism in this country.

Is it not a better option to have trained men and women engage terrorist outside the geographical boundaries of India, rather than on our own soil. Interdiction is an acceptable option as against retribution of which we seem to be absolutely incapable due lack of political will.

India wants peace great! India does not war fantastic! India must act and create the environment for both of these desires to fructify, not by seeking assistance or merely basing it on hope! India must initiate positive action and now! Not learning from history is a sure recipe for disaster waiting to revisit us.

This is not war mongering, this is accepting and facing the challenges that our neighbour has been throwing at us for the last 3 decades or so. The time is upon us to counter this comprehensively and decisively.