Stray Thoughts on Terrorist Tormentors

In several of my earlier posts, I have warned of the dangers of what is emanating from Pakistan. The attack that unfolded over the the last four days in Bombay may have been audacious but wasn't unexpected. India can blame the attackers for anything but not for being taken by surprise.

The owner of the Taj Hotel says there were warnings of a likely attack on the heritage building. The home ministry says it had alerted the coast guard of the likely attack on installations in Bombay by sea. The year 2008 has stood apart for the number of attacks which have taken place across cosmopolitan India. Bombay has been particularly vulnerable over the last 15 years and there were adequate number of warnings. There are several points we need to now ponder over.

The 1993 serial Bombings in Bombay also had its origins in the sea. RDX and weapons were smuggled in by sea. A time span of 15 years is long enough to plug the loopholes in coastal security.

When the terrorists attacked Ram Janambhoomi Temple in Ayodhya, India's Parliament in New Delhi, RSS headquarters in Nagpur and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, we got away with lesser damage due to the alert security and a stroke of luck but unless the national security is taken to the next very very high level, it is unlikely that we will succeed against every such attack.

The latest attack shows that a new phase of terrorism has begun. World has seen guerilla warfare in jungles of Sri Lanka and mountains of Afghanistan but the Bombay attack shows urban, cosmopolitan guerilla warfare where a handful of agile and heavily armed terrorists play hide and seek like a few rats across more than 1,300 rooms, corridors, elevators and stairs of two massive international hotels. Earlier terrorist attacks on hotels worldwide pale into insignificance in front of the latest prolonged battle.

The Bombay siege also reminds us of the Parliament attack of December 2001, which led to the largest ever peace-time mobilization of the armed forces to the border under Operation Parakram and Pakistan responded in kind. It is possible that terrorists who are feeling the heat on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border felt it necessary to again create an icy relationship with India. This will force Pakistan to move troops again from its western front to the Indo-Pak border, arguably making life slightly easier for Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The terrorists were looking for foreigners during the latest Bombay attacks, which smacks of the Al Qaeda policy.

At a time when Pakistan is going around with a begging bowl for money and its economy is in tatters, there may be at least some elements in that country, who would be keen that India should also be projected as a risky destination for foreign investment. But such attacks on India's economy though relentless, are unlikely to have a major impact in the near-term.

Nevertheless, it will be difficult to pin blame on Pakistan because that country functions at many levels. Government in Pakistan will easily wash its hands off the incident saying that terrorists who attack its own domestic installations may also be induldging in such heinous crimes abroad. Pakistan may give the "terrorists provoking escalation of tensions between the two countries" argument.

Having acquired nuclear capability, Pakistan feels confident of looking the other way when terrorists take such initiatives in India. It is not a mere coincidence that Pakistan's proxy war and covert anti-India operations were given a special push only after it acquired the technology to make nukes. Somewhere down the line, particularly after 9/11, these terrorists have been given reasonable amount of autonomy to conduct their anti-India operations.

Germany's late chancellor, Adolf Hitler followed two pronged strategy to acquire power and form the Third Reich. He contested parliamentary elections even as his Storm Troopers, or SA, under Ernst Rohm ruled the streets, brutally stifling opposition and creating social unrest. Pakistan's strategy seems to be no different, its government uses diplomacy to cultivate good relations and a peaceful dialogue even as the Army, spy agency, the ISI and terrorists work together to launch brutal attacks like the latest one in Bombay.

India's strategy should be to take a leaf out of the book of another German chancellor, Otto Von Bismarck of the Second Reich, who had remarked, "the great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood". Had Bismarck been India's Prime Minister, he would have siezed the opportunity to extract at least some concessions from Pakistan after the latest attacks. The least Pakistan can do is, hand over Dawood Ibrahim and also the mastermind of the attack on India's embassy in Kabul earlier this year. Afghan intelligence chief is on record, saying that his agency has given the name and address of the criminal behind the attack on India's Kabul embassy, to the government in Pakistan.

For Pakistan to handover these terrorists would be tantamount to accepting that they were playing host to them for so many years, using, nurturing and aiding them. But an extradition can always be stage managed, for example by showing them as arrested in jungles of Nepal. Apparently, something similar was done, when Yakub Memon was shown as arrested at the New Delhi railway station in the 1990s even though he had willingly returned via Nepal followed by the rest of the family.

Pakistan will still not handover the likes of Dawood because they have worked too closely with the Establishment there for comfort. They can spill the beans on how Pakistan has relentlessly and with single-minded obsession worked against India.

It is in this background that India has to take some tough but strong decisions. The time to act is now. We missed the opportunity to take strong action after the attack on India's Parliament in December 2001. The Operation Prakaram ended with a whimper. Many soldiers died because of the land mines that were laid under the operation, finally it was called off, a ceasefire with Pakistan was announced, new land and rail routes were opened for travel and 6,500 crore rupees went down the drain.

Amarnath: World's Oldest Pilgrimage

Those who try to question the simple fact that there was no pilgrimage in this world, in the strict sense of the term, before Amarnath pilgrimage, should remember that it was Lord Shiva himself who first visited Amarnath with Godess Parvati.

Even though the exact date of the origin of Amarnath pilgirmage isn't known but based on sound historical references it is now widely recognised as the world's oldest pilgrimage, which Hindus have been undertaking since the start of historical times or even in the pre-historic age. The Amarnath tradition is deeply imbibed in Kashmiri history. It will be unfair to encourage dubious myths, arguing that the pilgirmage was the result of any recent discovery, 100 or 200 years ago by a Muslim shepherd.

Jagat Guru Adi Shankaracharya, founder of the four maths in four corners of the country, went on this pilgrimage of Lord Shankara. Another, venerable pilgrim is Swami Vivekananda.

The Amarnath Cave is referred to in the Bhrngish Samhita, Nilmat Purana, Kal­hana’s Rajtarangini, and the Mahat­mayas of Amarnatha and Amresh­vara Kalpa. According to Kalhana’s Rajtarangini, Samdi­mat (34 BCE-17 CE), a great devotee of Shiva who rose from the position of minister to be the king of Kashmir, “used to worship a linga of snow above the forests, which is not found elsewhere in the world, during the delightful Kashmir summers”.

Kalhana also narrates the legend of Naga Surava, who gave his daughter Chan­dralekha in marriage to a Brahmin youth and carved a place for him besides his own abode in Shushram Naga (Seshnag). Kalhana says, “It is seen to this day (ie, 1148-49) by pilgrims proceeding to Amareshvara (Amarnath).”

Regular pilgirms to Amarnath via the traditional Pahalgam route, are well aware that Seshnag is 19 kilometers from the Holy Amarnath Cave.

One of the earliest references to Amarnath is in the Nilamata Purana, a 6th century Sanskrit text which depicts the religious and cultural life of early Kashmiris and mentions about origin of Kashmir itself.

The pilgrimage to the holy cave has been described with full topographical details in the Bhringish Samhita and the Amarnatha Mahatmya, both ancient texts said to have been composed even earlier. References to Amarnath appear in historical chronicles like the Rajatarangini and its sequels and accounts of several Western travellers. The original name of the tirtha, as given in the ancient texts, is Amareshwara.

Turning again to Rajtarangini; Kalhana gives the history of the Naga Suruva, who in his fury burnt to ashes the kingdom of King Nara when he tried to abduct his daughter already married to the Brahmin youth, and after the carnage took his abode in the lake now known as Sheshnag (Kashmiri Sushramnag).

Kalahana writes: “The lake of dazzling whiteness [resembling] a sea of milk (Sheshnag), which he created [for himself as residence] on a far off mountain, is to the present day seen by the people on the pilgrimage to Amareshwara.”(Rajatarangini, Book I v. 267.Translation: M. A. Stein).

There is yet another reference to Amareshwara or Amarnath in the Rajatarangini (Book VII v.183). According to Kalhana, Queen Suryamati, the wife of King Ananta (1028-1063), “granted under her husband’s name agraharas at Amareshwara, and arranged for the consecration of trishulas, banalingas and other [sacred emblems]”.

In his Chronicle of Kashmir, a sequel to Kalhana’s Rajatarangini, Jonaraja relates that that Sultan Zainu’l-abidin (1420-1470) paid a visit to the sacred tirtha of Amarnath while constructing a canal on the left bank of the river Lidder (vv.1232-1234). The canal is now known as Shah Kol.

In the Fourth Chronicle named Rajavalipataka, which was begun by Prjayabhatta and completed by Shuka, there is a clear and detailed reference to the pilgrimage to the sacred site (v.841,vv. 847-849). According to it, in a reply to Akbar’s query about Kashmir Yusuf Khan, the Mughal governor of Kashmir at that time, described among other things the Amarnath Yatra in complete detail.

Amareshwara (Amarnath) was a famous pilgrimage during the time of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. In his eulogy of Shah Jahan’s father-in-law Asif Khan, titled “Asaf Vilas”, the famous Sanskrit scholar and aesthete Panditraj Jagannath makes clear mention of Amareshwara (Amarnath) while describing the Mughal garden Nishat laid out by Asif Khan. The King of gods, Indra himself, he says, comes here to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva”.

Francois Bernier, a French physician, accompanied Emperor Aurangzeb during his visit to Kashmir in 1663. In his book “Travels in the Mughal Empire”, he writes an account of the places he visited in Kashmir that he was “pursuing journey to a grotto full of wonderful congelations, two days journey from Sangsafed” when he “received intelligence that my Nawab felt very impatient and uneasy on account of my long absence”. The editor of the second edition of the English translation of the book, Vincient A. Smith, writes in his introduction: “The grotto full of wonderful congelations is the Amarnath cave, where blocks of ice, stalagmites formed by dripping water from the roof are worshipped by many Hindoos......as images of Shiva…..”

Another traveler, Vigne, in his book “Travels in Kashmir, Ladakh and Iskardu” writes about the pilgrimage to the sacred spot in detail, mentioning that “the ceremony at the cave of Amarnath takes place on the 15th of the Hindoo month of Sawan” and that “not only Hindoos of every rank and caste can be seen collecting together and traveling up the valley of Liddar towards the celebrated cave……” Vigne visited Kashmir after his return from Ladakh in 1840-41 and published his book in 1842. His book claims that the Amarnath Yatra drew pilgrims from the whole of India in his time and was undertaken with great enthusiasm. Vigne himself, after returning from Ladakh and Tibet by 1840-41, during the rule of Maharaja Sher Singh, son of Ranjit Singh, attempted to visit Amarnath along the traditional route via Seshnag in late season, but was forced to return from the Wawjan Pass due to bad weather.

Walter R Lawrence mentions in Valley of Kashmir (1895) that Brahmins of Mattan joined the pilgrims to Amarnath and further up at Batkot, the Maliks used to take charge of the pilgrimage. Accord­ing to Lawrence, the Maliks were supposed to keep the track in order, guide and escort the pilgrims, carry the sick, and ensure nothing was stolen.

Guru Arjan Dev is said to have granted land in Amritsar for the ceremonial departure of Chari Mubarak, the holy mace of Lord Shiva which marks the beginning of the Yatra to the Holy Cave.
In 1819, the year in which the Afghan rule came to an end in Kashmir, Pandit Hardas Tiku “founded the Chhawni (Cantonement) Amarnath at Ram Bagh in Srinagar where the Sadhus from the plains assembled and where he gave them free rations for the journey, both ways from his own private resources”, as the noted Kashmiri naturalist Pandit Samsar Chand Kaul has pointed out in his booklet titled “The Mysterious cave of Amarnath”.

Home Minister Not At Home With His Portfolio

If a student doesn't fare well at school, he or she gets poor grades and may not be able to pursue the career of his or her choice. If managers in a company fail to deliver results, they may be sacked or not given an increment. If a journalist writes an incorrect report, his credibility is affected, the beat he covers may be changed or he may have to relocate. The bottomline is that performance matters.

Does performance matter for the ministers, or is it that they will continue unless they are shown the door by the people, once every five years. Unfortunately, we have got used to this norm. But even by our sluggish standards, the present incumbent in the Home Ministry takes the cake, or rather, the bomb. Even heavens can't destroy him because he has the blessing of the so called supreme leader.

Bomb blasts are taking place, a dime a dozen. If they become as common as traffice jams, it doesn't make a difference to the powers that be because they live under high grade security blanket.

But what about the common man? If 20 people die here or 34 there or 47 somewhere else, it is reduced to a daily statistic. But every single person matters to his or her near and dear ones. For those who aren't affected, it is like any other number, 20, 34, 47, but for those who are directely related, it is an earthquake, which words can't describe. Imagine, just imagine or at least try to imagine, someone's father, mother, sister, spouse, daughter, son, has been killed who may the only breadwinner for the family.

If the minister incharge of the security apparatus isn't successful in handling the situation, can't he just call it quits. We didn't even elect him to the House of the People. He got the post by what Punjabis call "via Bhatinda", after being defeated in the Lok Sabha polls. This is what happens, when politicians are allowed to go against the spirit of law even if they are following it in letter.

According to the Preamble of the Constitution, We the People of India gave ourselves this Constitution. Yet, we can't decide, who will be incharge of our internal security because even if we reject him in the polls, he will still enter Parliament by the other House. So may be, we have to just outrightly reject his party.

When, West Indies had established its supremacy in test cricket, there used to be a saying, "Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust; If Sobers can't get you, Gibbs must". Sooner or later, the Supreme Law of Natural Justice will get hold of these non-performers. Till then, we aren't sure how much more damage will be done to the body politic.

Terrorists and Infiltration

Late last night, the Indian army foiled yet another infiltration bid by terrorists, who tried to intrude under the cover of firing from the Pakistan side along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. This is the fourth such incident in less than a week.

If such incidents keep getting reported with a daily monotony, common people tend to dismiss it as routine and fail to realize that there is more to it than meets the eye.

One factor to be noted is that, such incidents are becoming increasingly common after the change of guard in Pakistan last month, with Asif Zardari becoming President and head of state. This illustrates that the feeble and cosmetic democracy in Pakistan will only be part of more anti-India activities even as platitudes are voiced and there are bear-hugs during photo-ops in months to come.

Two, such incidents are in violation of the November 2003 ceasefire agreement. Three, Pakistan has got emboldened in its subversive tactics after the recent incidents revolving around Amarnath pilgrimage.

Four, Pakistan, as stubborn as ever, which is facing a civil war situation in the North West Frontier Province, is still using home grown terrorists to foment trouble in India again. Five, Pakistan wants to push in as many terrorists as possible into India, before the onset of the harsh Kashmir winter. Six, for Pakistan, such infiltration becomes all the more important, once in six years, when elections are due in Jammu and Kashmir and 2008-09 winter is no exception.

It is the same old tactic. Terrorists try to sneak into India, under the cover of firing from Pakistan Rangers . According to the police, the latest incident occurred in Sabra Gali area of Mendhar sector. After Indian army troops challenged them and opened fire, terrorists retreated and escaped into Pakistan. The Border Security Force along the international border foiled three infiltration bids supported by Pakistani troops on September 27, October 1 and October 2 in Jammu sector.

For the record, India has registered its protests with Pakistan over these ceasefire violations but to no avail. For Pakistan, it is a do-or-die situation, they desperately want elections in Jammu and Kashmir to be called-off in face of domestic violence and protests. Herein lies the importance of infiltration.

The BSF may have foiled these attempts but many such incidents go unreported. For every such skirmish which is to our knowledge, there may be numerous others where terrorists could have succeeded in crossing the border. The number of such successes is anybody's guess but the impact of such infiltration will begin to be felt on the streets of Kashmir from next month, if strong measures aren't taken soon to stop the menace. The Indian government has its task cut out.

Longest Kashmir Battle Since 1989

Friday, October 3, 2008, just a day after Gandhi Jayanti, will be remembered for the end of one of the fierciest battles ever fought on Kashmir soil. Thirteen terrorists and a brave Indian soldier were killed in a nine-day long gunfight.

The battle needs to be seen in the context of the deteriorating security situation in the country and rising infiltration, notwithstanding which, India's government has decided to go ahead with the parleys and so called confidence building measures with Pakistan.

It is not surprising that Pakistan is violating the November 2003, ceasefire agreement with impunity but India's government is behaving as if nothing has happened and even plans to open a trade route in Kashmir later this month with Pakistan via Muzzafarabad. The least India can do is to tell Pakistan that cross-border firing and infiltration must be stopped and ceasefire agreement strictly adhered to before any meaningful discussions can be held.

Militrary personnel have termed the battle as, one of the longest since current round of terrorism started in 1989. Following are the details given to journalists by Major General V.S.S. Goudar, general officer commanding (GOC) of the army's elite counter insurgency Kilo Force, after the battle ended.

Heavily armed terrorists were spotted moving from north Kashmir's Bandipora district towards the Kangan Valley in Ganderbal district on Sep 25. Troops of 10 Para regiment, and 14th, 5th and 24th Rashtriya Rifles were moved on foot and by air and contact was established with the terrorists on the same day. The fight between the troops and the guerrillas occurred at an altitude of 15,000 feet in the Harmukh mountain range where snowfall occurs almost daily. Eleven AK-47/56 rifles, 27 magazines, 287 rounds of ammunition and two satellite phones have been recovered from the possession of the killed terrorists. One soldier was martyred.

If the Indian government has some respect for the martyred soldier, the least it can do is to tell Pakistan, that talks and tanks don't go hand-in-hand.

Siachen Glacier

Pakistan is at it yet again. It is crying foul over Indian Army's expedition of civilians to the Siachen Glacier. Pakistan's locus standi on the entire issue is questionable on several grounds. The 21-day trekking and mountaineering expedition is yet another message to the world that the glacier is under Indian control and Pakistan's claim over the region are invalid.

Pakistan is claiming that such an expedition is violation of the ongoing peace talks with India and vitiates the atmosphere. Which peace talks are they talking about? Haven't they fouled the atmosphere of the talks by violating the ceasefire enforced in November 2003. The number of cross border firing incidents are increasing by the day in Jammu and Kashmir.

Even otherwise, India doesn't need advice, permission and suggestions from Pakistan on how to conduct its affairs in the Siachen Glacier. The Indian government shouldn't buckle under pressure from Pakistan as it had done last year and should go ahead with the expedition nextweek.

Pakistan's President, Asif Zardari says that he favors an early resoultion of the Siachen dispute. I don't think there is any dispute over the region which is under control of India. Siachen shouldn't be divorced from rest of Jammu and Kashmir. The fault with Indian government is that is ready to talk with Pakistan over Siachen conveniently forgeting that the glacier is not in Gujarat, Haryana or Punjab but in Kashmir.

I have a very simple query for the Indian government, unless Pakistan stops abetment of terrorism and cross border infiltration in Kashmir, what is the point and logic of compartmentalization and negotiation on Siachen issue with Pakistan?

Welcome to Hindutva and Vedanta

This blog is for those who want to share ways and means for taking this great Indian nation to further dizzying heights of glory. It is for those who want to highlight the unique aspects of Hindu philosophy and Vedanta and how they can help tackle the ills and vices plaguing this world, how internal security can be strengthened and terrorism can be tackled.

This blog is about nationalism or Bhartiyata, strong defense, character building and honesty, what Hindu dharma calls sanskara. This blog is like a banayan tree. All are welcome, who want to discuss and plan implementation of projects of national importance.

This blog marks India's yet another tryst with destiny. India is destined to become the greatest power of this millenium and let us join each other to work towards this nation building.

A lot has gone wrong in the past few decades but there is a lot more which is likely to go right in times to come. So let us be optimistic and work and live for our country.

I take the opportunity to perform Shiva Puja on opening this blog, just as Lord Rama had worshipped Lord Shiva before embarking on to Lanka for conquest of evil.

Bhole Nath Ki Jai Ho !
Jai Bharat Mata !