Pak terror designs

Fifteen years after the 26/11 attacks rocked Mumbai, Pakistan’s terror designs remain firmly in place. The Northern Army Commander’s assertion that retired Pakistani soldiers form part of terrorist ranks in Jammu and Kashmir indicates the opening of a new front. He has also pointed to attempts being made to push in highly trained foreign terrorists because local recruitment is not happening. At least 20-25 terrorists are active in the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, according to Army estimates. A new resolve to root out terrorism from the Pir Panjal region was made amid the 31-hour encounter in Rajouri last week. A top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander and his associate were gunned down, while the Army suffered five casualties, including two Captains.

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Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had famously warned Islamabad that ‘you can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours’. Terror attacks have surged in Pakistan since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021. A forced exodus of Afghan refugees is underway. Notwithstanding the dire situation in the country, the all-powerful Pakistan army resorting to direct involvement by sending in retired personnel across the border is a warning for India. The challenges are mounting and there is no scope for any let-up in the state of alertness.

A critical lesson from the 26/11 attacks was about the complete lack of preparedness. Worryingly, as media reports suggest, an ecosystem of indifference holds sway. Of the 46 boats procured to track Mumbai’s coast, only eight are in the operational mode. The Hamas attack against Israel has shown the perils of exhibiting even a hint of complacency or a sense of invulnerability. A bigger lesson was to not overly depend on global support. Pakistan-sponsored terrorism is not a problem that can be outsourced for a resolution. India has to use all its resources to tackle it.