When a major incident of terrorism launched by Pakistani outfits occurs, as on 26/11 in Mumbai, or when there is a near miss as in the cases of Gurdaspur and Udhampur in recent days, the frenetic debate in the country centres on whether to cut off diplomatic dialogue with Pakistan — a completely misguided narrative.
This extraordinary state of affairs has afflicted governments of different hues, including the ones led by the BJP, a party that brandishes its so-called “nationalist” credentials at the drop of a hat and claims to have a no-nonsense stand on imported terrorism.
BJP’s battle cry when elections are round the corner is: “talks and terrorism can’t go together”. No different from the other parties, the saffron flag-wavers seek to emphasise that there is some special virtue in not talking to Pakistan when terrorist incidents occur, when it ought to be obvious that freezing diplomacy is not a solution to the problem of terrorism. There is no mention of developing appropriate responses, through sharp enough instruments that are duly institutionalised, to make the launching of terrorists so costly that it becomes counter-productive for the perpetrators, whether they are non-state actors, typically a code-word for ISI-nurtured murderous gangs, or state actors behaving irresponsibly on the border.
The absence of an institutionalised Indian response, and the lack of discussion — leave alone concrete action — on graded deterrents all the way up to the possession of a variety of retributive measures in the tool-kit of the state, underline the failure of statecraft on the Indian side. At any rate, such lacuna is in sharp contrast to what’s happened in Pakistan.
Without bothering about international opprobrium, our western neighbour has set up an effective terrorist infrastructure to be used against India. Effective responses must be developed without bothering about Islamabad’s foreign benefactors, including the US and China. This means equipping, training, adhering to training on a routine basis, and possessing defensive and offensive capability. The state of the border protection agencies across India remains pathetic even after the ignominy of 26/11. Seriousness of thought, and imagination, are needed.
