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Happy New Year Twenty-Ten
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http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers36/paper3586.html
India & Jihadi Terrorism During 2009-International Terrorism Monitor--Paper No.
602
By B. Raman
For the first time since the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December,1992,
we did not have any act of jihadi terrorism in Indian territory outside J&K
during 2009----either by indigenous or by Pakistan-based terrorists. I would
attribute it to the following reasons:
a) The good investigation of the acts of terrorism involving the Indian
Mujahideen (IM) in 2007 and 2008 by the police of Karnataka, Delhi, Rajasthan,
Gujarat and Maharashtra and the arrest of most of those involved.
b) The neutralisation of the cells of the Students Islamic Movement of
India (SIMI) by the police of the above States and Madhya Pradesh.
c) As a result of these actions, the IM and the SIMI have not been able to
reconstitute their cells and command and control.
d) The more sensitive handling of the grievances and anger of the
alienated sections of the Indian Muslim community by the Government of Manmohan
Singh. The anti-State anger in the Indian Muslim community is less.
e) The strengthening of the intelligence and counter-terrorism machinery
by P.Chidambaram since he took over as the Home Minister after the 26/11
terrorist strikes in Mumbai.
f) The greater co-operation between the counter-terrorism communities of
India and the US.
g) The sustained pressure exercised by the US on the Pakistani political
and military leadership to see that 26/11 is not repeated. The US continues to
be reluctant to take punitive action against the State of Pakistan for not
acting against the anti-India terrorist infrastructure. At the same time, it is
anxious to ensure that there is no more 26/11 in Indian territory outside J&K
by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists lest uncontrollable tensions between India and
Pakistan come in the way of its operations in Afghanistan.
h) After 26/11, there is growing international concern over the
Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET). Consequently, it is under watch by the intelligence
agencies of the US and many other countries.
2. One must remember that while there were no acts of jihadi and
Pakistani-sponsored terrorism in Indian territory outside J&K, the
Pakistan-based organisations, with the nod of the ISI, continued to attack
Indian interests in Afghanistan during 2009. There was a second major act of
terrorism outside the Indian Embassy in Kabul during 2009.
3. There has been no change in the jihadi objective of making India bleed. We
should be prepared for more surprises, but try to prevent them by following the
present policy of sustained revamping of the Intelligence and counter-terrorism
machinery, continued attention to the grievances and sensitivities of the
Indian Muslims, continued pressure on Pakistan to act against the anti-Indian
terrorist infrastructure in its territory and continued co-operation with the
US, despite our periodic unhappiness with Washington DC over matters such as
not allowing us to interrogate David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana
of the Chicago cell of the LET. Indo-US counter-terrorism co-operation will be
mutually beneficial. If it wants and decides to, the US is the only country in
a position to make Pakistan behave. We should use the US skilfully. Occasional
anti-US breast-beating is necessary, but overdoing it could be
counter-productive.
(The writer is Additional Secretary( (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of
India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies,
Chennai. E-mail: [email protected])
