Sir,
Apropos Brig Anil Gupta’s article in your esteemed daily on 29 June 2014.
He has aptly assessed increasing threat to Indian nationals and assets world over which India can’t afford to lose sight of. Coming days are dangerous particularly for us because J&K is shown as part of Sunni Caliphate proposed by ISIS even if they are day dreaming. Videos exhorting Indian Muslims to emulate their brothers in Syria & Iraq and wage Jihad against their own country is amusing. How foolish to think that our Muslim brothers are not Indian. Brig Anil has suggested that earlier they were targeting US & Europe whereas now they have their evil eyes on India. Can rag-tag Jihadist outfits of couple of thousands can threaten an upbeat India of 1.25 Billions? I tend to think that earlier they were scared of the West. Now they feel threatened from surging India. Now upbeat India is bigger challenger than US. Rather than worrying about what is happening around, LeT, Al-qaeda and other Sunni Jihadists should be having sleepless nights due to us and hence their recent tantrums such as maps and videos. This does not means that we lose sight of safety of our nationals and assets overseas.
While the govt concentrates on the troubled areas, we as Indians must stand as one to face the dangers staring at us. A signal must go that India is not a banana republic hence misadventure, if any, will be met with force plus. Indian interests in the countries where Al-queda and its affiliates are operative have to be guarded if India has to emerge as a regional power. NSA, RAW, security forces and ministry of Overseas Affairs must have their plans allowing the political leadership uninterrupted to make India a great economic power.
Not that our security forces will not defeat Islamist Jihadists but should we leave it to them entirely or rise above the partisan and communal mindset to defend our motherland jointly lest we too become dependent on US / Russia? I think the time has come to think that situation like Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan can crop up elsewhere also. Before such dangers loom large, we will have to rise as nation. If we can put on white AAP Caps when required, we can as well wear black boxing gloves. Hence need to give more attention to building security conscious in the society by various means. Nothing happened in US after 26/11. Nothing should be happening in vibrant India. We should be talking and listening little more of such assurances than prices and Rail Fare.
Yours etc….
Col J P Singh, Retd
Gandhinagar, Jammu
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