The longest, lethal and most co-ordinated terrorist attacks by the self-proclaimed "Deccan Mujahideen" on India's financial, cultural and nerve centre, Mumbai, on November 26 night should awaken India to introspect and reflect as the unspecified number of dare devils have shattered the would be "Asian Giants "internal security apparatus and exposed vulnerability of its economic, political, social and cultural fabric to the world, Pakistan analysts said on Thursday.
This scribe talked to a number of dispassionate experts and analysts of various fields to have their insights about the effects and complications of the Indian version of 9/11 for India, the South Asian region and the international community.
It may be recalled that bands of militants armed with assault rifles, hand grenades and explosives had killed more than 110 people killed, 900 wounded in the highly co-ordinated attacks on two five star hotels, a popular restaurant, a crowded train station, a Jewish center and at least five other sites in Mumbai and were still holding some people hostages when this report was filed.
A former Federal Secretary Interior told Business Recorder that the terrorists had been targeting the Indian financial centre since 1993 but instead of serious in-house debate and independent investigations to arrest the terrorists, the Indian government and Establishment always shifted the blame on Pakistani security and intelligence agencies and some religious outfits.
He said instead of misleading its public and finding scapegoats abroad, the Indian leadership and its security apparatus must realise that the terrorist movement was indigenous, well planned and a long term internal security problem for India.
He pointed out that the United States, Pakistan, United Kingdom and other countries' 9/11s were suicide and lightening attacks, but the Mumbai carnage, which must be condemned in strongest terms, was a prolonged, identified and specified with grievances and demands.
He said it is unfortunate that New Delhi's security concerns had been Pakistan centric, and the Indian security intelligence's absolved themselves of their responsibilities simply by blaming Pakistan.
He said Pakistan, being the frontline State in the international war against terrorism had been the worst victim of terrorist acts during past seven years. "In the recent talks between the Interior Secretaries of Pakistan and India in Islamabad and the on-going talks between Foreign Ministers of the two countries in New Delhi, Pakistan has already extended its full co-operation to fight the international terrorism".
He emphasised it is high time that India, instead of looking for scapegoats, beef up its internal security apparatus, remove the causes of frustration of its minorities and cooperate with Pakistan for elimination of this menace from the South Asian region."
Prominent intellectual and Chairman Mass-Communication department, Beaconhouse University, Professor Dr Mehdi Hassan pointed out that Taliban of Pakistan and Afghanistan had made Pakistan a focal point and the biggest target of their most lethal attacks for it was co-operating with the United States and the international community to drain out the militants from their hideouts.
He said India was also providing maximum support to the United States, Hamid Karzai government and the Nato forces in Afghanistan in their fight against the Taliban. "If Taliban can hit Pakistan, why should they spare India when it was deeply involved in war against international terrorism.
He emphasised that the Indian government and the security agencies should not blame and target Pakistan or the 200 million Indian Muslims for the Mumbai terrorist attacks and find out other linkages of the terrorist activities in India. Dr Mehdi Hassan opined that these attacks by the so-called "Deccan Mujahideen" would severely damage the secular character of the Indian society and promote Hindu fundamentalism and shift to right-wing politics.
An eminent economist and former Federal Secretary Planning Commission Dr Hassan Akhtar said 26th November terrorist attacks would give a big jolt to the Indian economy, foreign direct investment (FDI) and tourism industry, sports and cultural activities in India.
He said law and order and security is a pre-requisite for any kind of investment, tourism and services sectors. "Indian economy has been badly affected by the international financial crisis and these well co-ordinated lengthy attacks has drastically changed the soft, organised, peaceful and future "economic power house" image of India.
He said following terrorist attacks in Mumbai, foreign tourists and cricketers of other countries based in India are leaving India and there would be flight of capital, unemployment, social upheavals and communal conflicts in the country.
Dr Hassan Akhtar recalled the United States President-elect Barack Obama's statements warning India that there could be no peace in the region without solving the lingering Kashmir problem, therefore India must address to the Kashmir problem and remove grievances of its minorities and scheduled castes, including Muslims, Christians, Dalits, Jains and untouchables.
A well known political and news analyst said that majority Hindu community must realise that 200 million Muslims are spread all over India and they are the biggest minority in the world and without its whole-hearted support and co-operation, there would always be a threat to Indian unity, peace and harmony
He said that Indian Muslims are the most under developed, depressed, poor, isolated, discriminated against and under represented community in all walks of Indian life. This has been well documented by the National Commission on Religious and Linguistic Minorities headed by Justice Ranganath Mishra former Chief Justice of India and Dr Tahir Mahmood in its report presented to the Prime Minister on 22 May, 2007.
In its report the commission said "In respect of the Muslims - who are the largest minority at the national level with a country-wide presence and yet educationally the most backward of the religious communities - we recommend certain exclusive measures as follows:-
(i) Select institutions in the country like the Aligarh Muslim University and the Jamia Millia Islamia should be legally given a special responsibility to promote education at all levels to Muslim students by taking all possible steps for this purpose. At least one such institution should be selected for this purpose in each of those states and Union Territories, which has a substantial Muslim population.
(ii) "In the funds to be distributed by the Maulana Azad Educational Foundation a suitable portion should be earmarked for the Muslims proportionate to their share in the total minority population. Out of this portion funds should be provided not only to the existing Muslim institutions but also for setting up new institutions from nursery to the highest level and for technical and vocational education anywhere in India but especially in the Muslim-concentration areas.
(iii) Anganwaris, Navoday Vidyalayas and other similar institutions should be opened under their respective schemes especially in each of the Muslim-concentration areas and Muslim families be given suitable incentives to send their children to such institutions.
(iv) As many minorities groups specialise in certain household and small scale industries we recommend that an effective mechanism should be adopted to work for the development and modernisation of all such industries and for a proper training of artisans and workmen among the minorities - especially among the Muslims among whom such industries, artisans and workmen are in urgent need of developmental assistance.
(v) As the largest minority of the country, the Muslims, as also some other minorities have a scant or weak presence in the agrarian sector and recommend that special schemes should be formulated for the promotion and development of agriculture, agronomy and agricultural trade among them.
(vi) "Since the minorities - especially the Muslims - are very much under-represented, and sometimes wholly underrepresented, in government employment, we recommend that they should be regarded as backward in this respect within the meaning of that term as used in Article 16 (4) of the Constitution - notably without qualifying the word 'backward' with the words "socially and educationally" - and that 15 percent of posts in all cadres and grades under the Central and State Governments should be earmarked for them.