Dangerous deals

Now that the three hostages kidnapped by a criminal-terrorist group in Iraq are back, we must reflect on a long-term policy and evolve a national consensus on how to deal with hostage-taking and hostage-takers. It might be tempting to believe, as indeed the families of the released hostages seem to do, that divine intervention is enough. But such faith, such belief that things will work out somehow, cannot be the cornerstone of government policy. If we see our own past record in dealing with kidnappers, we would find large variations between principle and practice. This is not surprising since the issues involve deep humanitarian concerns, sentiments of families affected and the broader sense of helplessness in the face of brutal crime. The dangers are made all the more acute because the initiative for hostage-taking lies with the terrorists and criminals.

Most countries, of course, do not have a firm and consistent policy in dealing with hostage-takers. But the phenomenon of terrorism has been expanding globally over the past three decades. Transnational crime itself has become pervasive, undermining governance and law enforcement. In many cases institutions of the nation state have been weakened, if not eroded, by the phenomenon. Liberal democracies are under great pressure to treat every hostage as a vital issue where the government is expected to ensure the safety and freedom of every individual. Media attention at times works to pressurise governments into making even a negotiated outcome more difficult. The case of the IC-814 hijacking in December 1999 and the recent hostage crisis in Iraq are cases in point.

And yet common sense would tell us that hostage-taking is no different from blackmail, and giving in to kidnappers only invited me-too adventures. This was perhaps manageable as long as the problem was isolated. But widespread terrorism has raised the stakes, demanding that a clear, pragmatic policy be evolved and consistently pursued. Nearly 2,000 persons have been taken hostage in J038;K alone in the past 14 years. With millions of Indians working abroad, many in dangerous places, this becomes all the more critical. The options are clear: a set policy in dealing with hostage takers, or dealing with each situation in an ad-hoc manner. The risks in the former case would be higher in individual cases, but the prospect of encouraging hostage-taking would diminish, with terrorists less assured of extracting ransom.