“We must be realistic” 

Joginder Singh, IPS (Retd.)
Former Director CBI

India is under siege both from within and from outside. Naxalites are having a sway on 40% of the country and the Pakistani trained terrorists are keeping the country under pressure by snipping at us. In the latest rebuke, the Union Home Minister warned Pakistan ‘not to play with India ' by covertly sponsoring terrorists…'The Mumbai attacks (of November 2008) should be Pakistan 's last game. For the first time, in the history of fight against terrorism, the present Union Home Minister has said that terrorists attacking India would not only be defeated but would also face retaliation. A few days earlier, the Prime Minister had extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan but asked Islamabad to stop backing terrorists acting against India . Intelligence pouring into India , even from unimpeachable and foreign sources points out that the terrorists operating from the soil of Pakistan continue to have nefarious designs over the country.

The FBI, after interrogating two terrorist handlers, sympathisers and supporters in the USA by the name of David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, has informed India that these terrorists were plotting a major terror attack in India on behalf of the LeT. This is based on their confession made during interrogation that, amongst others, the National Defence College in New Delhi and a few public schools were on their radars. NDC trains about 100 officers every year of which about 60 officers are from the Indian armed forces. Foreign military officers number about 25 every year while IAS, IPS and allied services officers number about 15. Two of India's most prestigious boarding schools — Doon in Dehradun and aWoodstock in Mussoorie — and the National Defence College (NDC) in Delhi could be on the target of the Lashkar-e-Toiba, it has emerged from the intelligence shared by the FBI.

Schoolmates Headley, an American, and Rana, a Pakistan-born Canadian, were arrested by the FBI in Chicago last month on charges of planning major terrorist attacks in India and Denmark .

Whatever our politicians may say, that all such attacks require a lot of logistic support from the local supporters and sympathisers, the November 26, 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, as well as the earlier ones have revealed chinks in our intelligence set up. Not only do we have lack of intelligence, but also total lack of preparedness, both equipment and preparation wise. Terrorists keep changing their targets and modus operandi . Governments traditionally respond very slowly and even if changes are made they are not proportionate to the threat levels. There cannot be too much of security as possibility of a terrorist organisation attacking our country with the weapons of mass destruction can be ruled out. The security agencies have also painted a scenario of hitting at our defence and nuclear installations. No assessment or critical examination of the state of our preparedness has been done, except by the security agencies themselves. A silver lining is that it is not possible to sell a googly to the present Union Home Minister, who knows his job pretty well. But inspite of his best efforts, the changes made to tackle any grim scenario are not necessarily and proportionately adequate to take care of with the threat levels. Instead of the terrorist groups surprising us, our security agencies need to improvise and keep on modifying their field strategies, and astonish and stun them. This is the only way to neutralise them. We need to change our techniques, technology and tradecraft fast so that even terrorists are dealt with on unpredictable lines.

There is no such thing as time-tested methods for dealing with terrorism and even for collecting intelligence. It is upto the Government of the day, to give a free hand to its agencies to invent some methodology, which may be untried elsewhere in the world, to wipe out terrorism. Innovation is the key for remaining ahead of terrorists. At present, due to a variety of reasons, the security agencies are on the defensive. This approach needs to be changed to the one of offensive and going all out against those whose sole mission is to destroy the country. Highest political leadership has offered to hold talks with the various disruptionist groups in the country. Force need not be used, for what can be sorted out by talks. It is a good policy. But the troub le lies in the fact that there are no takers for this offer. Terrorist groups have not even responded as they feel that the Government is too weak to deal with them and is asking for talks on bended knees. The security agencies should put themselves in the shoes of the terrorists and think like them. I received the following email, which is reportedly a quote of Australian Prime Minister Howard and without comments, I am putting it down.

‘Immigrants, not Australians, must Adapt. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians.'

'This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.'

'We speak mainly English, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, Learn the language!'

'Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home because God is part of our culture.'