It is not the time to start another all new blame game. Rather it is time to admit with utter shame that collectively we have failed to save the lives of the pilgrims who went to offer prayers to the cave of Amarnath. There were warnings from the intelligence agencies well in advance. Heavy security arrangements were made to prevent such attacks. According to government reports all together 42,000 security personnel have been deployed to ensure the safety and security of the pilgrims. The number is simply huge if we compare it with the total strength of the British Army. Our rulers have deployed security personnel almost half of the size of British Army. Yet, a declared global terrorist as per his claim made in the past, struck at will to mock at our security system. To be honest, today it is time to admit it with heavy hearts that we allowed a terrorist to fulfil his promise, while failing pathetically to keep ours.
But a scan of almost all the television channels and the statements made by various distinguished panellists clearly prove two things. Firstly, they have no knowledge about the vexed Kashmir problem. Why this beautiful valley is burning for the last several decades? Secondly, these people are not interested in sharing the grief with the near and dear ones of the deceased. They are only interested in blame games. To score a point against each other, those panellists levelled all sorts of allegation and counter-allegations and in the din the main point was lost? None of the panellists could suggest a single solution which will bring back peace in this trouble torn valley.
Another worrying point is that all these debates tried to make the attack as a war between the nationalists and the anti-nationals. But this is not the fact. The attackers were simply the enemies of mankind. They do not belong to any country. They have no religion. They are the enemies of every right-thinking people of the world. Not only in Kashmir, the enemies of mankind today are striking almost everywhere in the world. Thus by terming those attackers as anti-nationals, we are simply keeping the door ajar for the killers to claim that they are fighting for a cause. It is an attack on civilised society. Though belatedly, the world is coming together against the terrorists. It will not be wise for us to separate the attacks on innocent people in Kashmir by terming those terrorists as anti-India.
So what should we do now? We have our task cut out. Firstly, we have to be vigilant enough so that the terrorists cannot strike at will. We are in no position to lose this battle. A defeat in this battle will put a question mark on the very existence of humanity. Secondly, we have to redress the genuine grievances of the Kashmiri people. We should not put the Kashmiris in the same bracket with the terrorists. Kashmiris are as peace loving as we are. They are the integral part of India. Few gun-yielding terrorists will never be able to force the Kashmiris to dance to their tune. The way the locals came to the rescue of the pilgrims endangering their lives, stood as a testimony to this fact. Recognition of this spirit will definitely make our job easy.
