In yet another attack the Naxalites in Chattisgarh killed 22 CRPF jawans and injured as many , in a deadly ambush, in which reports claim that almost 1000 Naxals had participated.
The Union Home minister, last year while responding to a question had said ; Since 2015, approx. 350 security personnel, 963 civilians and 871 Naxals have killed in violence in LWE(Left Wing Extremism) affected areas. Another 966 Maoists surrendered during the same period, as announced by Chhattisgarh Home Minister in the assembly on 23 December 2020. One can easily extrapolate as to how many casualties would have occurred since 2000.
So, the question many of us would ask ;
How long this sense less violence will continue?
Is there a way to get these Naxals to main stream?
Do our Jawans also have any Human Rights and only the Naxals and the armed men and their supporters have Human Rights?
And Finally, Who is to be held responsible for allowing this Free run to these armed men?
The Successive Govts Slept to this Emerging Menace For Many Years.
PAKISTAN TRAPPED IN A WEB OF COMPULSIONS.
The seeds for partition of India were sown almost 800 years ago when Muslim invaders entered India and started destroying its political, cultural and religious landmarks.( How much they did can be argued upon but they did do it, is agreed by all) .
The animosity and bitterness that was thus generated during those 800 years of muslim rule due to forcible conversions, destruction of places of worship, imposition of jaziya, etc was further intensified during Brits rule which finally led to the bloodshed and partition.
The bitterness and hatred that reached its peak during partition did not end with the separation, but it further led to some stereotype mindset and numerous political compulsions. These compulsions and mindsets have woven such a web around Pakistan’s polity and its leaders that how much they may try they can never come out of it and if they do make an attempt to do so they will do it at their own peril.
The influence of Wahabi movement of 19th century, Tableegh and Tanzeem movements of early 20th century encouraging a revivalist movement that focuses on urging Muslims to return to primary Sunni Islam, led to bitter animosity and large scale communal riots in the undivided India, commencing from early part of 19th century. The Simon commission prepared a list of 112 riots which occurred between 1923 and 1927.
The recent visit of US Defense Secretary to India, Pakistan’s Chief General Bajwa talking about mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, the need to bury the past and look towards living in peace, signing a cease fire agreement on Line of Control or LoC (violated almost 5000 times in last 6 year), Biden administration including India to discuss modalities of peace in Afghanistan along with China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan and lastly, India offering Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan to use its air space to fly to Sri Lanka are all signaling that something is brewing.
What has changed on the ground for all this to happen? It seems counterintuitive amid the Pakistanis openly trying to resurrect the Khalistan movement; drones being used to drop weapons not just in J&K but also in Punjab, tunnels to infiltrate terrorists being dug in, introducing ‘sticky bombs’ (used to devastating effect in Afghanistan in recent weeks). Clearly, the terror factory in Pakistan is continuing to devise newer ways to bleed India. The critical question then is how this agreement came to be as this is hardly conducive to any kind of move towards putting the bilateral relationship back on track.
If the sequence of events is closely examined then one may be able to read between the lines.
Examining behaviour of Uncle Sam
1. The US State Department has welcomed the cease fire agreement. It has also called on both countries to “continue direct negotiations” and asked Pakistan to prevent “militants from crossing the LoC to launch attacks in India”. So, cease fire implies that Pakistan is now no more sending terrorist from across the border. The views of both Biden and Kamala Harris regarding Kashmir, article 370 are well known to Indians.
2. The US study group that was formulated to find ways to facilitate the return of the US troops from Afghanistan, keeping their dignity intact and restoring peace and stability in the war torn country, has recommended a mechanism. The most important element of this group’s policy suggestion is the role assigned to India. It advises setting up two mechanisms to end the war in Afghanistan. First, a regional conference under the banner of the United Nations with foreign ministers of six countries – US, Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran and India – to discuss a “unified approach” on Afghanistan. Second, opening a dialogue between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Turkey.
3. The US study group has worked on a premise that no other regional country other than Pakistan needs an urgent boost to its economy. So, certain assurances vis-à-vis it’s perceived or true concerns about Afghanistan, India, or the India-Afghanistan nexus may encourage the Pakistani leadership to somehow become a responsible partner in the Afghan peace process.
4. The US is also trying to please Pakistan which is an old strategy - old wine in a new bottle. This implies that appeasement has to be at the cost of India.
5. Lloyd Austin, the US Defense Secretary tweeted on Friday, "thrilled to be here in India. The breadth of cooperation between our two nations reflects the significance of our major defense partnership, as we work together to address the most pressing challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region”. He expressed his country's strong desire to further deepen strategic ties with India to address, China's aggressive behaviour in the region, India's plan to procure around 30 multi-mission armed Predator drones, India's plan to acquire 114 fighter jets at a cost of around USD 18 billion from American defense majors -Boeing and Lockheed–Martin.
6. It is a fact that with India having no wherewithal and boots on the ground to influence the peace process in Afghanistan, it can do little to help the US in extricating itself with dignity from, and restoring peace in Afghanistan.
7. Except for the infrastructure and general good will, India has nothing to offer in Afghanistan. Whereas, Pakistan, a key player, has all the nuisance power to influence the peace process. Trump, the erstwhile US President, had even mocked PM Narendra Modi over the utility of Delhi sponsoring "library" in the war-torn Afghanistan.
India can be easily lured
Restoring Peace in war torn Afghanistan seems to be one of the most complex problems, and, despite thousands being displaced, killed, injured and Afghanistan has turned into a rubble, one cannot see light at the other end of the tunnel.
The treacherous nature of the insurgency, the divided and ineffective Afghan government, clash of interests amongst different stake holders ; China, Pakistan, Iran, Taliban, USA, Russia, India, Afghan Govt , the tribal Afghan society are all contributing towards making it a complex issue.
USA has already suffered huge casualties and it appears in no mood to continue deploying its troops. Thus it decided to have an agreement with Taliban whom it bombed out of Kabul Post 9/11. It has been one year since the United States and Taliban signed a landmark agreement leading to a political settlement between Kabul and the Islamic insurgents.
Under the February 2020 U.S.-Taliban deal, the U.S. forces were to withdraw from Afghanistan by May 2021, while the Taliban have to provide security guarantees, cease support of al-Qaida, and deny safe haven to foreign terrorists. The deal also aimed to pave the way for a permanent ceasefire and direct talks between the Taliban and the Afghan leadership. However, the February 2020 Doha agreement and the subsequent negotiations have failed to bring
It would be naïve to believe that US Govt was not aware of the dangerous path it is treading as any withdrawal can set the whole region on fire like Syria. Hence, the fate of the so-called peace deal, hangs in balance as to how Taliban sticks to the terms and conditions of the deal. The number of attacks in and around the Afghan capital over the past year leaves no one in doubt about the Taliban’s intentions.
Pakistan is the Key Player.
As regards Pakistan, an important stake holder in this war, USA has tried everything Post 9/11 ; From making Pakistan an ally in fighting Taliban amounting to running with the hare and hunting with the hounds, threats about sending Pakistan to the “stone age” to raising it to the status of “non-NATO ally,” accusing its prime intelligence agency of supporting the Haqqani terrorist network,” cutting down its aid but nothing has worked.
From the age of SEATO and CENTO to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the emergence of the Taliban, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the 2020 Taliban-U.S. pact, U.S.-Pakistan relations have although taken many twists and turns but the core object of this love-hate relationship has always stayed the same ;-
- India’s security concerns & Challenges
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Our Biggest Security Concern is the Lack of Strategic Sense
There is no other Nation in the history of human civilization which has been taken by surprise by its adversaries so often & with such remarkable regularity. We were taken by surprise in 1947 by the tribals from Pakistan & lost half of Kashmir, thereafter the Chinese surprised us in 1962 & took away Aksai Chin. In 1965, the Pakis once again surprised us, In 1989-90 we were surprised by the uprising in Kashmir and then started the long saga of surprises; the Kargil intrusion, highjack, bomb explosions and fidayeens. And then as recent as last year, the Chinese once again surpised us in Ladakh as they had come fully prepared.
What Does Military Mean to Civic Polity.
The Indian army because of its apolitical nature has often been confined to the cantonments & is therefore known to the civil society only through the electronic media and Hindi movies.