Shiban Khaibri
A highway ambush at Pampore in Kashmir by terrorists on June 25, resulted in the martyrdom of our eight CRPF personnel besides wounding 28, a few of them critical. This cowardly attack and the resultant loss of precious lives of our brave hearts sent a wave of indignation to all patriots across the country. Same evening, Pakistan envoy hosted an “Iftar” party in Pakistan High Commission Delhi which coincided with the wailing and mourning by the family members and nears and dears of the martyred personnel on the passing away of their loved ones. Thanks to our media which showed live as to how the sumptuous party was going on while all smiling Pakistan envoy Abdul Basit was performing the courtesies of a “good” host. A few reporters asked him about his reaction on the gruesome attack by terrorists and spilling of the innocent blood, the reply from Basit was unexpectedly undiplomatic and shocking as he said, “It is an Iftar party and let us all enjoy .” He, however, did not miss the opportunity even during “enjoying” the party to mention about their “jugular vein”, the Kashmir issue and termed it as a “disputed” matter. International law, the Geneva conventions on diplomatic relations and culture and several similar covenants, teach very unambiguously respecting Human Rights and Basit intentionally failed in sharing grief for a few moments by speaking a word or two denouncing violence and terror. Looking to his track record of engaging in covert activities for the last two years being not in the interests of India or for overtly frustrating fostering good relations between the two countries, makes him liable to be sent back home and ask for his substitute. That is immediately needed.
We can expect worst from Pakistan in pursuit of their execution of diabolical but illusory mission of inflicting a thousand cuts on their parent country but not as much discourteous as not to express just two words of sympathy for the bereaved families when the envoy was particularly asked by the pressmen especially when the whole gamut of Jihadi terrorism is the brainchild of and the same being sponsored, funded, supported and trained by Pakistan. Had this state of Pakistan not ceded from the united India on the basis of religion, it could have never given up the high traditions of respecting the dead. Civilization (al) drift and deficit have carved out Pakistan to be where the likes of Basit as diplomats behave quite repugnant to the diplomatic culture. See in contrast how we in India accord the respect and due dignity even to those who come from Pakistan to foment trouble and mayhem in this country whether on borders or otherwise and get killed at the hands of our security forces. We could not hold ourselves back from expressing dismay and regrets over the manner how kababs and biryani were munched while our jawans numbering 28 were still bleeding not to speak about those who had attained martyrdom.
It was all the more despicable to see Pakistan hosting , its agents in Kashmir, the Hurriyat people, in whose home place the terrorists at the behest of their host, had attacked the CRPF bus and spilled the pious Indian blood. It was all the more astonishing to see Imam Bukhari of Jama Masjid Delhi gulping the cuisine unmindful of what had happened in a part of his country. His patriotism was put to test the day , when in December 2014 he invited Pakistani and other countries’ leaders on the anointing ceremony of his son as heir to the post of the head priest of the Masjid but did not invite the Prime Minister of his own country. It was contrary to expectations, at least in the burst of showing feelings for their fellow countrymen – the security personnel- martyred and wounded for the other invitees like Shakeel Ansari and Mohamad Adeeb of the Congress Party, Javid Ali of the Samajwadi Party, not to leave the venue, if not under protest but as an elementary courtesy of showing some grain of respect for these brave hearts. Qasim Khalid, father of Omar Khalid, the one who in JNU early this year had raised high pitched slogans amidst mute spectators and along with a bunch of traitors “Bharat kay tukday tukday honay tak yeh jung jaari rahegi”, too had been invited by Pakistan and he was seen enjoying exactly in the manner Basit had urged each one of the invitees. Later, Congress invitees in the evening, upon being asked to account for their such conduct, put forth shocking and unexpected pretexts in support of their conscience not asking them to at least stand in silence for just two minutes in honour of these martyrs if they could not resist the temptation to leave the sizzling dishes uneaten. The move could have not only upped their prestige in the eyes of the countrymen but the host too could have got the message. The level of insensitivity shown by the invitees there over the gruesome terror attack which had taken place barely an hour or two before was never expected. Occasional garrulous speeches on secularism and parroting the rant of “Is key ninda kartay hain” by such type of leaders appear now too glib to be believed and taken seriously.
This country is reeling under a proxy war for the last over three decades sponsored and the motivated cadre indoctrinated by Pakistan purely on fanatic and fundamentalist religious grounds. This is absolutely untenable to go on preaching by us just for the sake of votes that terror has no religion. This writer has all along been arguing that terror is there for and in the name of religion. On many a TV Channel, it was amusing to see that spokespersons representing self proclaimed “secular” parties were seen vehemently arguing, under electoral compulsions, that terror had no religion. When asked about whether the IS was a purely religion based terror organization, whether Taliban groups, Jaish-e- Mohammad, Jamat -ul- Dawa, Boko Haram and the like were purely religion based terror groups, the spokespersons continued to parrot that terror had no religion. It was amazing to see that a convert of just over two years from the associate of “Sangh Parivar”, to a special brand of secular ideology, the JD(U) was resolute and assertive in its queer stand , less said the better about the RJD and the communists as also the TMC .
With the emergence of IS with an aim and ambition to”establishing” caliphate worldwide, the argument of compulsive secularists to deny religion having any part to play with terrorism is shattered, a fact which they too know but to accomplish appeasing politics and garner votes, crying the wolf of “threat to secular fiber” from the Sangh Parivar, they are continuing to do an ostrich dipping its neck in the sand. They are clinging to their stand even after the NIA recently unearthed an ISIS terror module in Hyderabad taking into their custody as many as 11 people suspecting of planning attacks. Those politicians who gave a clean chit to SIMI and declared Batla encounter fake never apologized to the nation , those who paraded the replica in physical features of Osama Bin Laden in Bihar Assembly elections some time back to woe Muslim votes, though rejected by the patriotic sections, never faced political ostracism nor any legal action. We call terrorists as “militants”, a relatively soft term which could be associated with even trade union activities. Politicians of almost all hues play Iftar Party politics in a secular country where religion has no priority and no state indulgence but it is going on every year unabated and even the “politically touch you not” RSS affiliate too has entered the Iftar politics by hosting a party.
The message, stern and formidable, to take on the menace of terror is still appearing to be in the embryonal stage while our security forces personnel are getting martyred as usual. It cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely as a routine.
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
Follow our WhatsApp channel