Vajpayee - converting the drums of war into shots of war?

The terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament building on 13 December last, to say the least, was a despicable and dastardly act. What was the aim and purpose behind this senseless attack would remain a mystery till someone involved in its planning or execution is apprehended. However, the emotions this attack generated amongst the Indian Government leaders and the general public was nothing short of a mass war hysteria. The government and the people, both already over-wrought with paranoia caused by the unabated decade long freedom struggle of the brave Kashmiri people, Kargil fiasco, India’s abiding dream of getting Pakistan declared a state harbouring terrorists and a desire to draw world’s attention away from the festering Kashmir problem, the authorities virtually declared, even before the fire-fight was over, that the terrorists belonged to Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The Prime Minister Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee said, “India’s response to terrorism would be unveiled across many fronts”. Adding, India would portray Pakistan as a breeding ground for terrorism to the “global coalition to fight against terrorism”. The Defence Minister, Mr. George Fernandes directly held Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence responsible for the attack on Parliament. The Union Finance Minister said that fear of economic difficulties would not deter the Government from taking “any action, if it is essential’’. Mr. Advani set India’s priorities in his usual bellicose, cliche-driven, sabre-rattling fashion by fulminating against the political genesis of Pakistan as a theocratic state and questioning the two-nation theory that gave birth to Pakistan. The Indian Cabinet resolved that India will liquidate terrorists whoever they are, wherever they are.

If the purport of terrorist action was not clear, the motives behind Indian moves could not be hidden. Cleverly worded statements by senior Indian government leaders and specially prepared programmes by India’s electronic media, so emotionally charged the general public that they had no option left but to call for hot pursuit of terrorist phantoms and to strike at the so-called terrorist bases in Azad Kashmir. By creating this charged atmosphere, India hoped to brow beat Pakistan, which had committed a large number of its troops on its long Western border to stop infiltration by fleeing

Al-Qaeda and foreign elements of Taliban forces, into agreeing to unreasonable Indian demands. Failing that, India wanted to ensure that the U.S. and other countries declare Pakistan a terrorist state or a state harbouring terrorists. But Pakistan and more mercifully the rest of the world too did not fall prey to Indian wiles and refused to oblige India. However, it was heartening   that most Indian English language editorials and many readers’ letters drew attention towards the need of a carefully considered response to terrorism rather than an emotionally charged military response. Whether the Indian government would pay heed to this advice is still to be seen.

The details of the events of  December 13 as reconstructed by the Lok Sabha Secretariat are as follows:

11-41 a.m. — white Ambassador car with a red beacon light bearing number DL3CJ 1527 enters through Iron Gate from the Parliament Street side.

The car speeds towards Gate No. 12 used by members of the Rajya Sabha. Mr. J.P. Yadav, Security Officer of Parliament House, suspecting some trouble asks the car to stop at Gate No. 12. The car refuses to stop.

Mr. Yadav mentions about the terrorists’ entry over his walkie-talkie. Mr. Yadav is shot dead from close range and the car moves further.

11-42 a.m. — Joint Secretary, Security, Mr. Maheepathi orders closure of all the gates of Parliament House.

Unable to move any further because of other stationary cars of the Vice-President’s convoy, the terrorist car takes a U-turn at the same speed and hits one of the cars of the convoy and stops at Gate No. 11 used by the Vice-President.

Terrorists come out of the car. One of them rushes towards Main Gate No. 1 and starts throwing grenades. Security personnel at Gate No. 1 challenge the terrorist who blows himself up later. The other terrorists keep running towards Gate Nos. 10, 9, 8, etc. and find them closed.

The terrorists jump over the wall beyond Gate No. 11. There is exchange of fire between Gate No. 11 and Gate No. 8.

Four Delhi Police personnel and one mali shot dead. Security personnel also open fire from Iron Gate at the Vijay Chowk side. Militants return fire, killing one CRPF lady constable at Iron Gate at the Vijay Chowk end.

Three terrorists shot dead by CRPF personnel at Gate No. 9. One terrorist runs towards Gate No. 5 used by the Prime Minister throwing grenades. The terrorist is challenged by the CRPF personnel positioned at Gate No. 5. The terrorist starts shouting Pakistan zindabad.

About 12 noon — the militant is shot dead by CRPF jawans at Gate No. 5.

Another report stated that the terrorist group was in fact heading for Delhi Airport when for some reason they changed their minds and headed for the parliament instead. The scale of confusion amongst the Indian authorities was such that no one remembers who called the Army to take over security of the Parliament buildings and of some VIP residences. The Army authorities obliged not knowing who had asked or invited them to take over.

While the Indian government beats its head against the proverbial wall, to get Pakistan declared “a supporter of terrorism in the eyes of the world”, the real perpetuators of the crime might in fact be the Indian intelligence agency RAW itself. It is reputed to have master minded the massacres of Sikh villagers and of Hindu yatrees in Kashmir, and of hi-jacking the Indian Airline’s aircraft to Afghanistan, as well as, being involved in the recent hi-jacking drama in India that misfired. Most bomb explosions and firing incidents in Pakistan are also attributed to this nefarious organisation. However, it is important that the ideological and nationalistic fervour of RAW personnel be never underestimated. It was my own experience to see the Head of RAW for Western Europe during the early seventies, let his son commit suicide rather than, for reasons of dharam, let him marry a French girl. The RAW Head enjoyed an under cover appointment dealing with UNESCO in Paris at that time.

Another possibility could be that this act of 13th December was carried out by a cadre of

Al-Qaeda. After all, ever since Taliban emerged as a force in Afghanistan,   India has been backing the Northern Alliance (NA) against the former, with all kinds of support, including military. Even earlier, India was the sole democratic country of the world to support Communist Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Later, with the emergence of Taliban and

Al-Qaeda, India built a large modern hospital just across the Northern border of Afghanistan, which served as a conduit of military training and supplies to Northern Alliance. and even before 11th March, acted as the hiding place for NA helicopters attacking Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces. In March this year, under a pact with the Northern Alliance (NA) and in association with four other countries, the Indians started training NA military personnel in a big way, Furthermore, India has encouraged important Northern Alliance’s leaders to keep their families resident in New Delhi, where they rest even today. All these factors could be used  as sufficient justification for Al-Qaeda cum Taliban elements to organise attacks on targets in India.

In fact, according to Indian press reports, “Maharashtra had alerted the Central Government on a possible attack using aircraft a la the attack on the World Trade Centre, on the Parliament House — more than a month ago — based on the information culled from the lengthy interrogation of suspected

Al-Qaeda operative, Mohd. Afroz Abdul Razack, by the Mumbai police. Not only did the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Chagan Bhujbal, inform the Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, about the potential threat but the Centre was also involved in the questioning. Speaking to The Hindu today

(13 December), Mr. Bhujbal said— what was a threat, has happened. Only the modus operandi seems to have changed.’’

There is also the possibility that to avenge what has happened in Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda/Taliban decided to carry out this act of sheer terrorism in New Delhi to heighten tension and hostility between Pakistan and India to a level that could lead to an outbreak of hostilities between the two.  Even if active hostilities were avoided, it would have drawn away a large number of Pakistani troops from the West to the East, thus thinning out troop concentration along the Afghan border and leaving gaps through which the Al- Qaeda cadre could withdraw into Pakistan’s frontier region.

Under the circumstances, and to prevent all that has been described above, President Musharraf has remained unruffled and responded to Indian rhetoric and provocation in a dignified manner as befits a seasoned statesman. It is surprising that Mr. Vajpayee is afraid to accept General Musharraf’s offer of either sharing information with the Government of Pakistan, or, having a joint investigation on this act of terrorism, which he and all Pakistanis have vehemently condemned. He has further promised to take proper action against any Pakistani guilty party. One wonders why then Mr. Vajpayee is prevaricating? Does he really want to convert the drums of war into shots of war? One hopes not and pray that better sense would prevail before it gets too late. It is needless to point out that the consequences of any future war between the two nuclear neighbours could not be pleasant for either country.