Beyond Pakistan, Think

26/11/2008 is one date that no Indian would forget easily. Nor would any Indian forgive any terrorists. And before you read any of the following lines, please bear in mind that my grief for the terror victims is as much as yours and I am a patriot and a consistent one.

The aftermath of the terror attacks can be called pitiable, if not foolish. Newspapers “put things into perspective” and conclude that India and Pakistan are on the brink of war. The Pakistani Government (or the military establishment? Whatever...), hysteric as always reportedly scrambles fighter aircraft over two of its major cities, thus copying that hysteria, that “sullen feeling of war looming in the sky” into the general masses. Back home, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee is quoted in the newspapers as a war of coercive words develops between the two neighbours. News channels, magazines and local newspapers draw out comparisons between the two nation’s armed forces, belittling the enemy as the lesser foe. Then we have politicians like Mr. Antulay who want a bit of the action amongst all the confusion, and generate even more drama if this was not enough. While this happens, volatile news readers get louder. Amidst this confusion, a saner voice was heard a few days ago. “The issue is not war,” said the Prime Minster of India. Bravo!

Yes, the issue is not war. Instead of continuing with this confusion, and spilling that into the minds of the citizens of the country by indirectly deputing it to the media, what the Government of India should do is revamp the entire defense system that is in place. The entire police system needs a renovation. Potbelly officers should be “worked out” and newer incentives should be laid out to the youth to join such services. An increased pay is definitely one such incentive. Also, the infrastructure and the equipment that the police use have to be constantly upgraded. In other words, we have to flex the right muscle. A country with a population of more than a billion people certainly needs more cops than it has now. There can be a secret police to guard the interests of the country and her people. I may not be good at strategic planning in such areas, but I do have a point that can be extrapolated by a more qualified person.

Instead of figuring out ways to kill those who kill us, we should devise ways to stop those who try to kill us from killing us. Trying to use the first alternative can be disastrous, and India knows it surely and verily. Both the nations in contention are nuclear powers and both have the capacity to annihilate each other. We are fighting for survival, and not fighting for death. The purpose is simply not served.

Then, while we are upgrading our defenses, we should also focus on developing the domestic economy further. Development through inflationary growth is a process that has worked wonders till now. Now as the world faces its worst economic crisis that has not been fuelled by a major war, a lot more thinking has to be done in such areas. People with vested interests in the economy never do good to the economy and in actual effect, they never do any good to themselves as they never really “cash out”. The government needs to make this point clear to them somehow, but that is difficult as simply stating such statements doesn’t work. Pure capitalism has failed for now, and we have to chew that fact and digest that fact. Derivatives of a failed economy also fail, and these days, well, derivatives are assuming even more importance than the underlying assets. But there is a positive end to this failure. The failure is going to lead to corrective measures – the economy is going to look after itself, it always looks after itself. But the catch here is that the governments should not go all out to “bail” toxic companies. Instead of spending crores of rupees trying to bail out sick units of the private sector, the government should keep focusing on issues such as unemployment. If we get back to the basics, economic prosperity will follow.

So how do we counter this terror machine? The terrorists have a mind. They too are humans, and they have their own thinking. Their interpretation of the holy Qur'an is not the same as the Muslims we personally know, but they have been led to believe that what they do is right and they will earn paradise by doing that. Now that very man, who is going to pull the trigger, or activate that grenade, is not insane. He has his own thinking, his own ideas. His commanders tell him about the atrocities on Muslims around the world, that Islam stares extinction. Does it? It does not. We know that. And that is not enough. They should know that. Their Muslim brothers the world over should hold protest rallies, voluntarily, letting them know that no one is being oppressed in this free world. That this world is paradise itself, and by committing suicide or any sin, you are revoking your privileges of living in a paradise. But for this to happen, oppression of not only Muslims in minority areas, but also of every person – of every caste and creed – should be fought against by the Governments. The government should let the terrorists know who is in charge and that prevention of oppression is its own duty. Only when equality is established in its true sense, through love and not through force, and when the message of love transpires to the other end, will this saga of terrorism stop. People fighting for their rights is not new. For the Americans, at one time the British were the terrorists. For the British, at one time Bhagat Singh was a terrorist. But this time it is slightly more complicated. The world is coming to an end if Nostradamus is to be believed. Let us all save it through brotherhood and universal love.