Anti-India elements should be deprived of Indian citizenship. Additionally, our laws need to be strengthened so that those who seek to hurt the national interest are made to pay a huge price
Pakistani propaganda claiming all of Kashmir on the basis that the valley has a Muslim-majority population, is spreading like cancer, without India taking action. Indian has not shown the door to such people and pushed them out to their country of choice. India is for people of all religions, castes and creeds but not for those who have no loyalty to the country.
Once, on behalf of Punjab University, I had gone for a debate to the National Defence College in Dehradun and found a sign board prominently displayed at Chetwode Hall, which said, “The safety, honour and welfare of your country come first, always and every time. The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next. Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time.”
On October 31, it was reported that the Jammu & Kashmir Police were looking for eight students who had raised pro-Pakistan slogans during school hours, leading to tension at Sial Sui in Kalakote area of Rajouri district. According to the newsreport: “The Jammu and Kashmir Police have started looking for eight Class 12 students who on Thursday raised pro-Pakistan slogans during school hours, leading to tension at Sial Sui in Kalakote area of Rajouri district.
“A case has been registered against the eight students following a written complaint by Anil Kumar Gujral, Principal of Government Higher Secondary School at Sial Sui. The complaint was lodged after students opposed to the sloganeering protested along with some local residents, including panchayat members led by their Sarpanch, at the school, leading to the Tehsildar and the SHO concerned visiting the school and pacifying them.
“Sources said trouble started during a free period when around 40-45 students of Humanities stream returned to their classroom after appearing in a school test. As there was no teacher in the class, some students reportedly started raising pro-Pakistan slogans, leading to protests from other students.
Giving details of the incident, school’s vice principal Sher Mohammad said he was taking a class in an adjoining classroom when he heard the noise. “I sent a student there to ensure silence, but when the noise continued, I personally went,” he said.
““When asked about the commotion, a student told me about the raising of slogans by some students,” Sher Mohammad said, adding that he immediately called the school principal and other teachers. The students who raised the slogans were pulled up after they admitted to committing a mistake, he added. “When asked to apologise, other students suggested that they do it in the morning assembly. But none of them turned up.”
It should be made clear to such elements that loyalty is not grey area issue. One is either loyal or disloyal. loyalty is essential to the most basic things that make life liveable. Without loyalty, there can be no love. Without loyalty, there can be no family. Without loyalty, there can be no friendship. Without loyalty, there can be no commitment to community or country. And without those things, there can be no society.
As for the Government of India, it needs to learn a lesson from Julio Francis Ribeiro, who followed the ‘bullet for bullet’ policy and snatched Punjab back from the jaws of militancy. It is a perfectly justified policy.
The cost of terrorism can be seen from the souvenir of J&K Police released in 2003. It says that between January 1990 and December 2002, there were 56,041 incidents of violence, including 10,093 explosions, 29,931 firing incidents, 5,561 arson, 763 rocket attacks, 4,597 abductions, 229 cases of hanging to death, 275 arms snatching cases and 4,592 other acts of violence.
It added that more than 30,000 civilians were killed during the 14-year-long militancy while 60,000 militants died during the same period. The security forces seized 24,785 AK-type rifles, 9,387 pistols and revolvers, 58 carbines, 1,003 RPGs, 91 light machine guns and self-loading rifles, 742 rocket launchers and 2,270 rocket boosters during the same period. Besides, 6,865 kg of RDX, 47,219 grenades, 5,228 anti-personnel mines and 4,176 rockets were recovered.
For all these acts of terrorism, some Indians are also responsible. For example, two Indians were charged with providing support to Al Qaeda. They had discussed ideas for an Islamist insurgency in India, documents filed by United States prosecutors show. Hyderabad-born Yahya Farooq Mohammad and Ibrahim Zubair Mohammad were indicted by a grand jury in the US on November 6 for allegedly providing and raising funds through credit card fraud for slain jihadist ideologue and commander Anwar al-Awlaki, according to news reports.
In an e-mail sent by Farooq to Zubair on January 31, 2005, Yahya wrote: “The Muslims there (in India) are our brothers. The non-Muslims are our enemies”. So much for loyalty top India! Yet, despite the actions of such misguided people, the fact is that Muslims are an integral part of India, and will continue to be so.
Many people in India may not know this but people in Pakistani Punjab speak the same language as people in Indian Punjab although the former use the Arabic script.
Once, during an official visit to Pakistan, I had to stay in lahore for a night, enroute to Islamabad. I requested my host, an Army Brigadier, to take me to the birthplace of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. I also clarified that I did not have a visa for visiting the holiest of the holy place of the Sikhs. My host graciously said that he will still escort me. He also said that his great grand-father was a Sikh who had converted to Islam. I was touched by him and remember embracing him as a
distant brother.
Today, I feel sorry when some elements from Pakistan attack Indian Forces and Indian interests. The problem can be solved overnight, if the Government has the will. Anti-India elements should be deprived of Indian citizenship and detained till they decide to leave the country of their own volition. Such elements should be deprived of all Constitutional Rights. Also, our laws need to be strengthened. Those who seek to hurt the national interest must be made to pay a huge price for their crimes — as has been famously said, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings”.