The killing of two cops near the border in Gurdaspur district on the intervening night of February 21 and 22 is yet another incident of terror the link of which has been traced from across the border. Prior to that there was an incident of, what looked like, a specifically targeted attack on a group of migrant workers in Moga district. Earlier there have been a series of grenade attacks along the border and mostly in the same area.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann recently said in Jalandhar that the Punjab Police was actually fighting a war against terror sponsored by Pakistan. This was a serious admission from the head of the government of the border state. While the police have been alert and quick enough to identify the culprits, at the same time, the intelligence network needs to be upgraded and modernised to ensure that these incidents are prevented well in advance. It is very much possible with a combination of able and efficient human resources coupled with technology that can make that happen.
At the same time, as the police fight the foreign-sponsored terror, the police will need to be extra cautious and careful to ensure that the culprits do not end up as victims. Police are indeed within their rights to handle the situation. Moreover, unprecedented events and incidents demand unprecedented responses. Punjab Police, for that matter any law-enforcing agency across the globe, is known for handling such situations. But this must not lead to any feeling or perception of injustice as that has the dangerous tendency of causing alienation, which in turn creates fertile ground for vulnerable targets for the ISI and other enemies of the country.
Just three decades ago, Punjab faced one of the worst militancy era ever. It took thousands of lives, all Punjabis, before peace returned to the state. Punjab cannot afford another such dark era. But that does not mean the state can remain complacent and won’t be awake and alert to the challenges and threats posed by the enemy. Moreover, in the modern era of information technology when anyone can contact anyone without even getting noticed, the challenge becomes more difficult and dangerous. This is very much happening and people are being targeted and lured to do such acts.
In most of the cases, the terror attacks are being carried out by “lonewolf”, though not in the typical sense of the phrase. The “lonewolf” normally act on their own. Here in these incidents, they have their handlers who obviously are staying and controlling them from outside the country. Social media and messaging platforms come handy for such elements.
Unlike gangsters, the youth who are involved in the acts of terror are driven by ideological motivations. That is more dangerous. Anyone working for a gangster is aware that he is doing the wrong thing. But an ideologically motivated and indoctrinated person is of the firm belief that he is doing the right thing for whatever reasons, like perceived grievances.
While for someone to get involved with criminal gangs, there is mostly financial motivation, for militancy-related acts, faith and ideological indoctrination is enough. Economic conditions of the person or his family are of no consideration when it comes to someone feeling ideologically motivated and inclined to perform an act of terror.
Also read: India must accord top priority to engaging with Bangladesh
Radical indoctrination is the easiest thing to do in the current age of social media platforms. It is a fact that the ISI has been using fake handles to indoctrinate Punjabi youth with its venomous and toxic propaganda. Things are made complicated by sections of Indian diaspora living in Europe and North America, who are adding fuel to the fire. Given the impressionable age of the people these propagandists target, it is not difficult to make them believe in imaginary things with an imaginary sense of grievance.
The Government of India will need to enact stringent laws or guidelines, which will mandate that only duly verified social media handles are allowed to be broadcast in the country. There are millions of unverified handles and most of them fake, which are involved in anti-India propaganda. For an unsuspecting social media user there is no reason not to trust and believe them.
With the current military establishment in Pakistan aggressively hostile towards India, there has always been a difference of degrees in the levels of hostility, we will need to be more alert and more prepared against more such threats and attacks. Besides, there is all likelihood of Pakistan trying to facilitate coordination between the Kashmiri and Punjabi radical elements to work in a more coordinated way.
While Pakistan will keep on doing it under its policy of “bleeding India with thousand cuts”, we will have to be more careful, more cautious and equally sensitive in dealing with the situation, which is going to be more challenging, as it seems, in the coming times. This being the election year, makes it more sensitive.
Follow us
