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Journalism of Courage
The recent spate of incidents of terrorism and related violence in J038;K, whether as a consequence of the last spurt of jihadi violence before the winter slows things down, or because of the greater effectiveness of India8217;s security forces, deserves continuing attention. This should re-emphasise the nature of the challenge ahead. There is clearly a global war against terrorism that is in progress. Whether it is progressing at an adequate pace or not would remain a matter of judgment. We are certainly a part of it. Even the faint-hearted reforms inside Pakistan to terminate ethno-religious terrorism in a way contributes to the global war and, in turn, benefits us. But we must be clear that the war through terror being waged by Pakistan inside India for two decades has to be fought essentially by us. We have a stake in the global war against terrorism; but the battles are our very own and they must be fought mostly by ourselves.
Terrorism faced by different countries is different in spite of common features. The value of a common approach to dealing with terrorism and its supporting infrastructures like addressing the problem of funding, training, sanctuaries, and so on, remains, even if somewhat limited. And we need to remain active in building and expanding an international coalition against terrorism. But we need to also remember that the global war can, at best, have a peripheral impact on our battles. It is not surprising, therefore, that President Bush during his speech at the UN the other day did not even refer to the terrorism killing tens of thousands of mostly Muslim innocents in India. This is no doubt also the reason the world did not even bother to notice Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf8217;s clear admission in front of the international community at the UN of his influence over the jihadi terrorists employed in their criminal role inside India.
