Author: Swapan Dasgupta
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: October 30, 2006
Two decades after Thatcher's characteristically
robust intervention, the terrorist organisations throughout the world are
not suffering from the want of any "oxygen of publicity." Inflammatory
audio and video recordings of Osama bin Laden and his loyal Egyptian deputy
are routinely transmitted by Al Jazeera. In a ghoulish twist, this month saw
the Taliban proudly distributing a recording of Mullah Dadullah personally
beheading a line of Afghans loyal to the Hamid Karzai regime. It has even
become obligatory for suicide bombers to taunt the friends and families of
their victims with video recordings of their last testaments.
Since the puppeteers of terror based in Pakistan
like to pretend to the international community that they are "partners"
in the war on terrorism, India hasn't experienced the unedifying sight of
murderers boasting about their feats. This deliberate haze over the identity
and backgrounds of the so-called mujahideen has actually served the terrorists
well. The manner in which foolish liberals, not least in the media, rushed
to proclaim the innocence of a woman terrorist killed in Ahmedabad, and are
now getting shirty over a death sentence to a facilitator of the attack on
Parliament in 2002, indicate that radio silence serves the larger cause of
terrorism better in India. In the privacy of their medieval seminaries, the
*jihadi*groups may celebrate the murder of those they term "Hindu dogs"
but they would rather let their propaganda flow from the pens and microphones
of those who believe that the Hurriyat is the next best thing to sliced bread.
It is plainly apparent that India's war on
terrorism is not merely against misguided amateurs who want to recompense
today's drudgery with guaranteed heavenly titillation. We are dealing with
crafty professionals, who, despite having perpetrated some of worst crimes
against innocent civilians, still end up smelling of roses before the international
community. If cross-border terrorism was the handiwork of rogue elements within
the Pakistan military, the problem may have been tackled long ago. The disconcerting
truth-that-dare-not- speak-its-name is that terrorism against India is part
of the national consensus in Pakistan. It is worth noting that the terror
campaigns in India and Afghanistan enjoy the full cover of Pakistan's diplomatic
establishment. Without their full complicity, Pakistan would have ended up
looking like another Libya or North Korea.
It is lamentable that a sophisticated Pakistan
offensive has been met by astonishing ham-handedness in India. Half the problem
lies in officialdom's great love of publicity. The National Security Adviser,
for example, can't resist his weekly TV interview. While the frequency of
his appearances has ensured instant public recognition, M K Narayanan should
count the cost of his repeated ill-considered remarks, including the latest
fuss over "clinching" evidence. He has, single-handedly, helped
Pakistan get over its depression over President Musharraf's rapid-fire self-goals.
The problem is that the NSA is behaving like
a policeman. It has become customary for police chiefs to correlate their
track records with the frequency of TV appearances. Whether the Mumbai Police
Commissioner "cracked" the July 11 blasts or the Karnataka Police
foiled an attack on the Assembly is for the experts to judge. It is not necessary
for India's law-enforcement agencies to rush to the media with all the gory
details of their own cleverness-these often cannot withstand exacting scrutiny.
These incredible media briefings are a reason why the world remains sceptical
when India cries "wolf" over Pakistani terrorism. The war on terror
is better conducted quietly, by our side shunning the "oxygen of publicity.
