Editorial: 26/11 Anniversary
…government could do better things to commemorate martyrdom of our brave hearts. Instead of a ritualistic resolution to fight and defeat terror, it could come out with more specific strategy to fight terror, informing nation how it’s going to prevent entry of Headley and Rana sort of terrorists into the country, to check cross border infiltration…
Yes, country unitedly paid homage to martyrs of last year’s Mumbai terror strikes today, candles lighted, parade taken out, wreath laid down, and even a resolution to fight and defeat terror passed in Lok Sabha. No doubt, with more national security guards being stationed in every major city, country hopes to tackle a second such attack in better way, more confidently, if it, God forbid, happens. But this is not exactly what would have been an ideal commemoration of first anniversary of the terror strikes. Well, Mumbaikars went out as usual, Delhites never got scared after bomb explosions, Indian denizens are, thus, doing what they should do to discourage perpetrators of terror. But this is not due to any government action. Relatives of 26/11 victims and martyrs have yet not received the promised relief in full, widows of martyrs are fighting with system but failed to know as to what exactly led to their husband’s death, which they argued, could be prevented by timely action. Everybody under whose nose the attack took place is holding a responsible post except a few. India is far from achieving punishment to perpetrators of attack who are safe in Pakistan. That’s what this first anniversary of 26/11, which is also 60th anniversary of enforcement of our constitution, is about – hypocrisy and inaction.
Today, a demand got stronger to hang the long surviving attacker Amir Ajmal Kasab. Though law has to take its own course and it’s upto court to decide on punishment to him after he is proved guilty, but it is an open statement of dissatisfaction with the government on its counter-terrorism policy. Well, Indian and the US, during PM Manmohan Singh’s recent state visit to the White House, inked a pact on counter-terrorism, India cannot hope to develop a successful counter-terror system until it honestly studies and implements the US and British model, the two countries which have successfully guarded themselves against any repetition of such terror strikes. The details we hear everyday about David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, who successfully stayed in India for months prior to 26/11 and possibly contributed to terror strikes speak volumes of India’s flexible internal security.
The government could do better things to commemorate martyrdom of our brave hearts. Instead of a ritualistic resolution to fight and defeat terror, it could come out with more specific strategy to fight terror. It could have informed nation how it’s going to prevent entry of Headley and Rana sort of terrorists into the country, to check cross border infiltration, to very humanly locate terrorists’ local support foot, to avert an incidence like 26/11 if it was still to happen. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a solid assurance on any of these, let alone punishing likes of Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. Nothing could be sadder than the fact that one of the worst victim of terror is still sleeping on the issue but lighting candles.
