The list of strikes by terrorists from Pakistan on places in
India is a long one. Some of the major attacks by Pakistani terrorist in India
are given below :
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December 22, 2000
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3killed
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October 1, 2001
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38 ”
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December 13, 2001
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2001 Indian Parliament attack
in New Delhi
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7
"
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May 13, 2002
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12 killed
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80
injured
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September 24, 2002
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Terrorists attack the Akshardham temple in Gujarat
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31 killed
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March 13, 2003
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A terrorist bomb attack on a commuter train in Mumbai
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11 killed
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August 25, 2003
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52 killed
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October 29, 2005
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29 October 2005 Delhi bombings:
Three powerful serial blasts in New
Delhi at different places just two days before the Hindu
festival Deepawali[13]
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70 killed
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March 7, 2006
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2006 Varanasi bombings:
Three synchronized terrorist attacks in Varanasi
in Shri Sankatmochan Mandir and Varanasi Cantonment Railway Station[14]
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21 killed
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July 11, 2006
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209 killed
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January 1, 2008
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Terror attack on CRPF camp in Rampur
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8 killed
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May 13, 2008
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63 killed
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July 26, 2008
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29 killed
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110 injured
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September 13, 2008
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21 killed
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110 injured
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November 26, 2008
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171 killed
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239 injured
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February 13, 2010
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17 killed
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60 injured
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July 13, 2011
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26 killed
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130 injured
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September 7, 2011
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12 killed
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76 injured
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The latest attack was on 5.12.14 in 3 places in Kashmir in
which 11 security men and 8 militants have been killed.
It is clear from the above that it is nothing short of a war
which Pakistan is waging against India through its proxies. Inspite of this the
response of Govt of India to these attacks have been very weak. Mostly it
consist of issuing verbal warnings to Pakistan that some serious repercussion
will follow if another attack takes place. It is like a challenge thrown by a
coward person to slap him again till he receives another slap and challenges
again. Other than verbal warning the Govt goes on a self pity mode and howls
and cries before the international community to punish Pakistan. Infact instead
of finding a solution to stop these attacks the Govt of India sits backs and
wait for a another attack to come. These useless reactions further emboldens
Pakistan to continue killings of civilians in India.The present Modi Govt promised a lot of direct action to eliminate terrorist and its sanctuaries inside Pakistan. It promised to punish Pakistan for any further terrorist attacks. The macho image built of Narendra Modi by clever publicity was imprinted on peoples mind. Where has all that Modi magic disappeared ? Now nobody in the Govt speaks of retaliation or surgical strikes against Pakistan. After the recent attack in Uri,Kashmir Modi tweeted " attacks in J&K is condemnable " . Everybody knows it is condemnable. What is new in it ? There is no mention on how the Modi Govt is going to deal with this menance.The Home Minister went one step further to educate the public.Rajnath Singh said " the attack is to create fear psychosis among the people". Such words of wisdom !
It looks that nobody in the Govt including the PM with a
56" chest has the slightest idea of how to defend our people against these
terrorists sponsored by Pakistan. Already LeT which is part of Pakistan proxy
terrorist organisation has declared jihad on India. Its leader Hafeez Sayeed
has openly organised a mass rally in Lahore on 6.12.14 and the Pakistani
railways ran special trains to transport its members. Al Queda has already
included India in its plans for jihad. All this sums into the fact that large
scale attacks can be expected in various cities in India in the coming months.
However the Govt seems to just lay back and enjoy the sunshine of its latest
victory in the polls.
One thing is clear that no nation would help us to fight
terrorism. We have to fight our battle alone. There has been a strategic
agreement recently with the US which also includes fighting terrorism together.
But experience has shown that the US is extremely selfish and does not consider
India on a equal footing. India is a joint partner in fighting terrorism only
on paper. Not a single operation against terrorists have been launched jointly.
Access to CIA data and other vital intelligence is never shared even if it
points to a terrorist attack on India. The information on David Coleman that he
his part of a operation to attack Mumbai was never conveyed to New Delhi in
time. On the other hand US is forming special relations with Pakistan knowing
fully well its role in international terrorism. The recent 2 weeks visit of
Raheel Sharif COAS of Pakistan seems to have established a new bonhomie between
them. There is no mention in their agreement to target India specific terrorist
groups in Pakistan. The comments of the
US state department on the recent militant attack in Kashmir was "we're
concerned about any violence in Kashmir, and I wouldn't jump to conclusions
here (about Pakistani involvement in the Uri incident)" . This statement
was issued inspite of clear evidence that the attacks were carried out by
Pakistan based terrorist under the direct control of their army. Perhaps this
magnanimous gesture was in return for some measly Al Queda operative killed by
Pakistani forces. It seems that the US has agreed that Pakistan is free to
promote terrorism in India in return for killing terrorists harmful to it. 2. Afghanistan is the Achilles heel of Pakistan. Touch Afghanistan and a paranoia strikes Pakistan. It starts getting nightmares that India is surrounding it. It considers Afghanistan more or less its own territory where its writ should run. The Taliban problem is due to Pakistan supporting the Taliban, through which it intends to tighten the screws on Afghanistan. Our formidable presence in Afghanistan is absolutely necessary to squeeze Pakistan till it relents to abandon use of terrorism against India. Moreover setting of bases in Afghanistan to collect intelligence on Pakistan will pay reach dividends. A lot can be done to build up a network of informers and to plant assets inside Pakistan. The Afghanistan Pakistan borders are porus unlike between India and Pakistan. Lot of people shuttle daily across borders. By planning carefully a lot of harm can be inflicted on Pakistan if we station our troops and intelligence network there.
However India seems to have never tried to bond with Afghanistan as was expected. The former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai paid innumerable visits to India. He requested help to fight the Taliban. To supply military hardware,training of Afghan military force and even for placement of Indian army officers in Afghanistan. India cold shouldered all these requests and confined itself to economic aid and building of infrastructures. What is the use of such so called development help by India in a envoirment of insecurity. If and when Taliban takes over the first thing they will do is to place explosives in Indian built structures and blow them up. In any case a Taliban takeover will ensure that it removes all the goodwill which India has earned.
The new Government in Afghanistan has now reversed its policy. It is getting closer to Pakistan and China. It has also cancelled a order for military hardware which it placed with India. Wrong policies comes to bite you later. Not everything is lost yet. The new friendship between Afghanistan and Pakistan may die a early death due to unreasonable demands of a arrogant Punjabi Army of Pakistan. The other factor in favor of India is that the Afghan people like India far more than Pakistan. It is still not late to give a renewed boost to our relation. Supply the military requirements of Afghanistan and all security related manpower. In return we can get wider access in Afghanistan and both countries can together fight against the terrorist menace which Pakistan has spread in the region. The increased pressure on Pakistan on its western border will prevent it from venturing into adventurism on its eastern border.
3.We have never sharpened our support for the freedom of
Balochistan. For the last many years the insurgency in Balochistan has passed
through many phases and particularly flared up after the killing of one of its
veteran leader Akbar Bugti by Pakistan Army under the orders of Musharaf. Since
then freedom fighters of Balochistan have heightened their attacks on Pakistan
armed forces. They have also started attacking Punjabi residents of
Balochistan. Gas pipelines were blown. Massive rallies and demonstrations have
been organised against occupation of Balochistan by Pakistan. The retaliation
by the Pak army has been ruthless. Thousands of civilians have been murdered or
have disappeared believed to have been killed by the Pak army. Mutilations
,rape of women, killing of children by the Pakistan Army is touching a new low.
It is like what they did with civilians of the erstwhile east Bengal. Inspite
of this large scale insurgency in
Balochistan it is hard to understand the reason behind India's mysterious
silence. Pakistan raises the Kashmir issue in every known international
gathering even when constitutionally and legally it is part of India. But here
in Balochistan the entire region is demanding freedom and we keep quite. It
should not be forgotten that at the time of partition in 1947 Maharaja Hari
Singh legally acceded Kashmir to India. In case of Balochistan the Raja of
Kalat never acceded his state to Pakistan. Pak Army forcefully occupied it.
It is time that India should forcefully come out in
support of Balochistan freedom. It should raise the issue in the UN and all
other available international forum. It should establish contacts with the
leaders of the freedom movement and provide them guidance and support to
achieve their aims. India should also encourage them to establish a Baloch
Government in exile. Arms,training and ammunition as well as funds should be
provided to them through secret channels. Attacks on vital installations and
army camps in Balochistan on a regular basis would go a long way to rattle
Pakistan. The Gwadar port build by the Chinese is particularly important for
Pakistan. The Baloch freedom fighters if given the right equipment and training
can inflict a deadly blow to this port which will not only destroy a important
infrastructure but also force China to rethink whether to invest in Pakistan.
If India moves along these lines and provide muscles to the freedom movement in
Balochistan it would have a sobering effect on Pakistan. It would certainly
discourage Pakistan from resorting to terrorism in Kashmir and elsewhere in
India. This may also help in pushing Pakistan to accept the reality of Kashmir
being part of India.
4. The world of covert operations is shrouded in secrecy
and details of its operations remains hidden. Iam sure that RAW and similar
Indian outfits are doing what is required inside Pakistan. Recruiting and
installing a network of informers in Pakistan should be the topmost priority.
This network was completely destroyed during the tenure of I.K.Gujral as PM
under his instructions. This was a serious lapse and a blunder which made the
nation vulnerable to dangerous possibilities. The present NSA Ajit Kumar Doval
is a no nonsense person and believes in securing India against Pakistan by all
means. Even non conventional. He is a former intelligence officer and can do a
lot to puncture the aggressive designs of our neighbor.
Pakistan is already a fragmented society with sectarian
and ethnic violence now deeply embedded in its ethos. It is a fertile grounds
to recruit ,help,incite a group to attack its torturers.
Shias,Ahmedias,Baloch,Christians are being killed by one or other group of
terrorists. Blasphemy laws,forced conversions and the persistent attempts to
define a true Muslim is heaping humiliation on a large section of its society.
Our covert operations should intelligently deploy strategies to befriend
persons from these oppressed groups and encourage them to strike against their
oppressors. The resulting chaos would embroil Pakistan into a never ending
cycle of violence and would considerably weaken its potential to attack India
through its terrorist proxies. In today’s time intelligence agencies give the
work of carrying subversive activities on contract in places of their
operations. There is no dearth of people in Pakistan who would undertake a job
like blowing a train or throwing a grenade in a public place if adequately
compensated. After all this is what Pakistan is doing in India. Large amounts
are paid by the ISI to terrorist organisations to inflict damage inside India. Of
course in their case the US generously keeps their coffers full by granting
billions as aid. The Indian Mujahedeen ,SIMI ,JKLF,Hurriyat and various other
cells are employed by Pakistan on contract. A similar tit for tat approach will
work in our favor.Covert operations also includes assassination of terrorists who are being protected by Pakistan for example individuals like Hafeez Sayeed and Dawood. The use of snipers in such situations is a good policy. A long range shot not only effectively gives time to the sniper to escape but keeps its identity hidden. Nobody comes to know who the killer is and the endless speculation which follows buries the matter in the end.
Satellites ,drones ,web policing,listening devices and all sorts of spy gadgets has to be employed to keep a watch over the enemy. Recently the use of drones for spying ,mapping and keeping watch over a specific target has proved to be very useful. Prior to attack on Osama house in Abbottabad his residence was photographed from different angles and the occupants were also fairly identified. India at present does not have this type of drone technology. US and India are strategic partners in the fight against global terrorism. Therefore India should strongly request the US to reserve specific number of drones only for Indian specific operations for detecting sanctuaries of Indian specific terrorist groups inside Pakistan. A request to the US to sell these drones to us together with its technology should also be taken up on a priority basis.
It goes without saying that covert operations inside
Pakistan is the most potent tool to neutralise terrorist attacks on us.
5. There have been lot of discussions on carrying out
surgical strikes inside Pakistan. After the 26/11 Mumbai attacks India was
almost on the verge of carrying out such a operation. A surgical strike means
our security forces would have to enter Pakistan territory. This can trigger a
war which is not advisable at this stage. However incase there is a 26/11
repeat such a strike would become inevitable since Pakistan would be deemed to
have carried out hostile operations in our territory. In such a event there
should not be any hesitation to carry out surgical strikes on terrorist targets
inside Pakistan. Incidentally it is widely speculated that US took the help of
India in operation Neptune Spear to eliminate Osama Bin Laden. According to the
events described in the book ' No Easy Day' written by Mark Owen who was one of
the Seals who took part in the operations they flew on a MH60 Black Hawk
helicopter from Jalalabad to Abbottabad. But these helicopters did not take a
straight path. They travelled and crossed LOC at Uri inside Indian air space
and then turned towards Abbottabad. Obviously they entered Indian airspace
after secretly obtaining permission from the Indian Government. India gladly
must have given permission and it is speculated that India also provided
intelligence on how to escape detection by Pakistan radars. Therefore India
should also not hesitate to request US to provide intelligence and strategic
support incase it carries out a similar surgical strike inside Pakistan.
Security analysts are predicting that there is a very high probability that a
major terrorist attack could be launched on India from Pakistan. In such a
scenario a surgical strike team and means of transportation should be kept ready at all times and the
moment a terrorist strike takes place it should take off to retaliate without
delay before international pressure to stop it is raised.
6.The rise of communalism and targeting of Muslims and Christians
by Hindu fanatics has reached alarming proportions since the BJP has come into
power. It is also being perceived that the Modi Government is deliberately
keeping its eyes,ears and mouth closed to the daily attacks on minorities by
its affiliates the Bajrang Dal and VHP. Even Ministers in the Union Cabinet are
issuing obnoxious statements which are not only against the spirit of our
constitution but also against the ethos of our age old tradition of tolerance and coexistence. Recently a attempt
has been made to convert Muslims to Hinduism by offering them cash and BPL
cards. This was described as Ghar Wapsi! As if they are cattle’s and not human
beings. This is nothing short of demeaning and humiliating the minorities.
There is another MP who declares that Nathuram Godse was a patriot. There is no
doubt that if these sections of society are pushed against the wall they would
become easy fodder for the terrorist groups to lure them into their folds. What
is more serious is that educated and middle class of non Hindus would also opt
for the option of using terror to retaliate. A powerful and hate filled fire of
terrorism would rise to consume this country which would be difficult to
control. Let us not forget that terrorist organisations like SIMI and now IM
are the results of the demolishing of Babri Masjid and Gujrat massacre.
The Government should take immediate forceful steps to
stop this terrorism against the minorities. It should henceforth expel any
Cabinet Member and MP who indulges in anti minority statements or shields any
communal organisation. Suitable warnings should be issued to Bajrang Dal and
VHP to keep their hands off from bashing the minorities. These organisations
should be banned it they still continue to sow poison in the society. RSS
Hindutva agenda should be shelved. The people have elected this Government on
the development plank. Not to build Ram Mandir or do shuddhikaran of non
Hindus.
It should not be forgotten that internal turmoil opens
the doors to the Pakistani based terrorist as well as international terrorist
like ISIS to spread and strike inside India with ease.
7.Our security and intelligence organisations no doubt
must be keeping a close watch on suspected person and is equipped with the
latest tools to detect conspiracies before they reach their implementation
stage. However the existence of a centralised national data bank of all
criminals ,offenders,missing persons,suspected persons is of utmost important.
Information from all the police stations in India and enforcement agencies
should be fed in this national data bank. Information should contain photograph,biometric
data,blood group,DNA identification. This would greatly facilitate in the
identification of persons involved in terrorist activities. Fingerprints and DNA
can be obtained from the scene of crime and can be compared against this data.
Even the data can be compared with those entering and leaving India. Candidates
applying for recruitment in security agencies can be screened against this
data. Real time Cyber and Mobile surveillance
is a area in which India has yet to acquire cutting edge technology. It gives
the intelligence agencies the power to accurately trace a terrorist and
apprehend him at the spot and it also helps to identify actual and potential
terrorists lurking on social sites as well as those with mobiles (By tracking
it). Recently a ISIS active propagandist Mehdi Masroor based in Bangalore and
working in a MNC was identified by this means by Channel 4 UK and later on
arrested. The unfortunate part is that our intelligence agencies failed to
identify him. It is therefore obvious that a great deal of work has be done in
this field by our agencies.
8.Pakistan unreasonable demand to solve the status of Kashmir
can never be accepted because of the simple reason that legally and constitutionally
it is part of India. There can never be talks on the territorial integrity of
this country. Before the world Pakistan justifies terrorism and links it to a
dispute which never exists. The fact is that Kashmir is only a symptom of the
disease 'India hatred' which the establishment in Pakistan is suffering from.
To be blunt the Islamic state of Pakistan foolishly thinks that it is some sort
of Islamic obligation to perpetually wage a war against Hindu India. So Kashmir
or no Kashmir Pakistan would always be aggressive towards India till its Army
is beaten to pulp.It is unacceptable that a State in this 21st
century uses terrorism and threats to achieve its goals. Even the US is
buckling under this threat when Pakistan demands ransom(aid) for reigning Taliban
in Afghanistan. However India will never succumb to such a threat though we
know that Pakistan is nurturing homicidal dogs like Hafeez Sayeed and many
others of his likes.
Since the new Government has taken over a clear message
has been delivered to Pakistan that there can be no talks on change of
territorial boundaries of India other than returning the portion of Kashmir
illegaly occupied by Pakistan.Talks can be held on various other issues
relating to Kashmir,end of terrorism ,mutual trade,steps to bring people of the
two countries closer and generally for promoting peaceful coexistence.
The problem with Pakistan is that the civilian Government
is not in charge of foreign relations and security. Pakistan Army has since its
inception kept these two portfolios to
itself. Therefore any talks with the PM of Pakistan ends in failure because its
Army reverses any agreement or undertaking he makes with his Indian counterpart.
This is going on for several past years. Terrorist attacks and LOC firing is
resorted by the Pak Army and any progress made towards peace is shattered and
we reach back to zero point. Since this scenario in Pakistan is not going to
change why not talk directly to the Army there. Recently the US invited the
COAS Raheel Sharif for prolonged talks which lasted nearly two weeks. Can you
imagine any country Army head going for talks with another nation on matter of
foreign policy and strategy when a duly elected PM is already sitting in the
chair? But this is Pakistan and things work here in weird ways. The US has
accepted this and showered him with all the honors including US legion of Merit
Medal. After all a weird situation deserves a weird honor.
The point is that India can also consider direct talks
with Pakistan Army on terrorism and Kashmir which perhaps has more chances of
succeeding. Let us invite Raheel Sharif. Put some garlands around his neck and
sprinkle some flowers & itar(No tika please otherwise he would be charged
with apostasy) and then honor him with
some some fancy medal. We can then have a frank talk with him to explore what
is in his mind. Tell him frankly that India has no intention of parting with
Kashmir and therefore will he continue with terrorism. Assure him that India
& Pakistan can build a new era of friendship which will benefit both our
countries if Pakistan abandons terrorism. After all talking can clear many
doubts and suspicions which exist between our two countries. Convince him to
take action against all terrorist groups including those targeting India. Maybe
such a meeting would throw up some worthwhile results.
ASHOK KUMAR
P.S. Since the writing of the above article the following terror attacks by Pakistan took
place in 2015
1. Gurdaspur 27.7.15 9 killed
2. Udhampur 5.8.15 2 killed
P.S. Since the writing of the above article the following terror attacks by Pakistan took
place in 2015
1. Gurdaspur 27.7.15 9 killed
2. Udhampur 5.8.15 2 killed
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