Decisive and ruthless crackdown on jihadis is the need of the hour, not more empty rhetoric ---- Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT), headed by Hafiz Saeed based in Pakistan, is a threat to India's security and sovereignty and must therefore be branded as 'enemy of the nation'. There need not be a legal provision to do so. The Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is empowered to take such a decision. The committee has also the authority to direct intelligence and security agencies to prepare a plan of action, both covert and overt, to neutralise the enemy 'with extreme prejudice'. <br /> <br /> Covert actions are within the domain of intelligence and security agencies and are best left to them to work out the most effective and quick way of dealing with the mission entrusted to them. Indian agencies have some experience in dealing with such situations and, despite the grossly unfair talk of 'intelligence failure' whenever some calamitous event takes place, these have proved their efficacy. It will, however, not be out of place to state that such actions should include targets like Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar, Dawood Ibrahim and Abdul Karim Tunda. <br /> <br /> Overt actions are what makes headlines and shape public opinion. In the Mumbai serial blasts, the Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues have an onerous responsibility. So far, there has not been any reason for the ordinary people to feel confident that the Government is capable of resolving threats to the nation's integrity. <br /> <br /> The Prime Minister's statements have fallen short on several counts. He seems to be a prisoner of two extremes - swinging between a meek reaction for not finalising a date for the Foreign Secretary level talks to challenging Pakistan with 'LeT or peace'. This should end. Mr Manmohan Singh should be seen as a decisive and strong leader. There's nothing gained through rhetoric, he must say what is in the country's interest. He must also ensure that his Cabinet colleagues speak in one voice and not reflect the disparate ideologies and alignments they represent. <br /> <br /> Next, there is a need to tweak the agenda of the composite dialogue a bit. There is, of course, no point in calling off the peace process; at least not yet. The issue of cross-border terrorism, which was relegated to the end of the discussion points, should be taken forward. Pakistan should be asked to state the action taken on the commitment made by Gen Pervez Musharraf in January 2004 that he would not allow any terrorist outfits targeting India to operate from Pakistan. Let this be the exclusive agenda of the next Foreign Secretary level talks. <br /> <br /> Pakistan can be reminded that visible and decisive action can be taken against groups like LeT. The first should be to ban Jamaat-ud Dawa and its sister organisations. The ban should be followed by the arrest of Saeed, his advisors and office-bearers. All of them should be tried under anti-terrorism laws. LeT's Muridke headquarters should be sealed forthwith. <br /> <br /> Similar action should be taken against LeT's offices across Pakistan. The training camps should be dismantled; bank accounts of LeT should be frozen; its members should not be allowed to hold processions, organise protest rallies, publish journals, newspapers and websites. <br /> <br /> If Pakistan either declines to accept these suggestions or fails to honour them, India can suspend the peace process till there is mutual agreement on this issue. Ignoring this critical issue for the sake of continuing the peace process will be fatal for stability in the region, as well as to India's own aspirations. <br /> <br /> The next important overt action should be carried out at home. There is enough evidence to show that terrorist groups like LeT and Harkat-ul Jihad al Islami (HuJI) have managed to find local recruits, mainly from banned or shadow extremist organisations that have come up in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, besides Jammu & Kashmir and the North-East. These groups have to be identified and systematically destroyed. Mere ban will not be sufficient. The ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) is a telling example. After the ban in 2000, SIMI, which openly eulogises Osama bin Laden and calls for making India Islamic, has not only expanded its networks in several States but has also networked with terrorist groups like LeT and HuJI. <br /> <br /> A crackdown on these groups will entail an investigation into their linkages with political parties and individuals. Mr Manmohan Singh should set up a small task force within the Prime Minister's Secretariat to investigate these alliances and associations and suggest recommendations, including penal action against political parties and individuals supporting extremist groups. One of the starting points could be the classified report of the NN Vohra Committee on politician-criminal nexus. This is of utmost urgency. <br /> <br /> The Prime Minister should convene a meeting of State Chief Ministers and Home Ministers to prepare a consensus on the need for a decisive and ruthless crackdown on terrorists and their supporters. The Maharashtra Government, in particular, should be told to launch a 'Clean-up Mumbai' operation to rid the city of the underworld. Mumbai cannot be free of terror unless the criminal syndicates are rooted out. <br /> <br /> </font> <font size="2" class="greytext1"> <em>The Pioneer, July 20, 2006 <br /> </em> <br /> <br /> <br /> <em>* Views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Observer Research Foundation.</em> <br />
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