Trigger-happy terrorists

India does not have the wherewithal of the US, the UK or other developed nations to effectively nip terrorism in the bud. The country has been hit by the jihad variety of terrorists in connection with the Jammu and Kashmir issue right from the days of Independence.

That the trigger-happy terrorists can hit targets at their will and pleasure underscores their invincibility. Leaders like Osama bin Laden take refuge in the depths of untrodden caves and crevices and let loose the ‘worker-bees’ on innocent people to protect faith. The fidayeens or sacrificial lambs are told that they would attain instant salvation, if they carried out the orders of the leaders. Is it that the leaders would not like to get instant salvation?

Take the case of the vast city, Mumbai, for instance. Terrorists master-mind bomb explosions whenever they want to.

This reminds me. The Intelligence network has been digging deep into the revelations made by some of the terrorist infiltrators. Their plans to target super-stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, industrialist Mukesh Ambani and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar reveal the fact that terrorists are active behind the curtains. They are only biding for time to hit the bull’s eye.

Terrorists are gunning for Mother India now as never before on account of the changing international perception of the evil. The US and the UK had thought that they would never be targeted within their territories. September 11 has changed all the impractical concepts to which the super-power was clinging on.

The US and its allies are taking all measures to protect themselves. They would help out countries like India as well.

Now that the India-America nuclear deal has been sealed, those terrorists who are opposed to the US have turned their guns on India as well. We cannot take on the enemies by ourselves. If we have decided to go with the Americans in the fight against terrorism, it would be wise to go the whole hog with them. Unconditional support can be extended to the super-power in the joint fight against terrorism.

We have supported the resolution against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency. The message was to urge the Iranian regime to stop the nuclear programme and to fall in line with international protocols. In fact, Pakistan, Iran, North Korea and other renegade countries cannot be believed to be reliable as non-proliferation votaries.

After we voted against Iran, it is natural that the evil forces are looking with vengeful eyes to hit India. Osama bin Laden and others of his sort would not hesitate to take extreme measures against India. Pakistan has been harbouring various hues of terrorists in its territory. Even the al-Qaeda variety has been hiding in the mountains bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan. The al-Qaeda and Taliban veterans could be made to intrude into Jammu and Kashmir to launch terrorist attacks.

India’s national security adviser M K Narayanan has hinted at the terrorists’ intention to blow up one of the nuclear reactors of the country.

Sensitive institutions should be put on high alert against the depredations of the declining tribe of terrorists. The peculiarity is that once a category of terrorists have been immobilised, another variety would arise from the ashes of the ones who have perished. Let us be always on our guard against the evil.