The Terror Forecast
By Ali Sukhanver
The whole of the Indian society is under a cloud of fear and horror, every one forecasting some drastic terrorist activity during President Obama’s visit to India in the last week of this January. It is being apprehended that the terrorists would give a ‘warm welcome’ to President Obama on the Indian lands. All security and intelligence agencies of India, all analysts of Indian TV channels and all columnists of Indian newspapers are stressing upon the same apprehension. In short this terror-forecast is wrapped up in such an immaculate type of certainty that it seems no one can save India from the hazards of terrorism on this occasion. Let us pray to God Almighty that He may save India and President Obama from every type of terrorist activity during the said visit because if any thing went wrong , the Indian authorities would simply push the whole ‘credit’ to Pakistan. President Obama will be honouring India’s Republic Day parade this year on 26th January as the chief guest. He is also expected to visit Agra next day on 27th January. Keeping in view, the Indian confidence and certainty about occurrence of some terrorist activity, most of the impartial analysts are of the opinion that the world is going to meet another Ajmal Qasab very soon. It is also being expected that a Mumbai Attacks or Samjhota Express type of tragedy might occur again. Terrorism in any form and any shape and at any place is condemnable but the conviction of the Indian authorities with reference to the expected terrorist activity is in itself doubtful and suspicious.
It has ever been the dominating trait of Indian political character to frame Pakistan behind every terrorist activity in India. We can find ample examples of this behaviour in previous years. And this is not a particular Pakistani point of view; so many Indian politicians have also been saying the same thing. Last year in January the Hindu reported a statement of that time Indian Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde. Mr. Shinde had accused the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological mentor the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) of promoting Hindu terrorism, which in turn was responsible for the fatal bombings of the Samjhota Express among other Muslim targets. He had categorically admitted in his statement that the BJP and the RSS were behind the blasts aboard the Pakistan-bound Samjhota Express, in Hyderabad’s Mecca Masjid and the Malegaon mosque in Maharashtra. But in spite of all these confessions, the Indian government has ever been trying its utmost to hold Pakistan responsible for the Samjhota Express tragedy in the same way it has been doing in case of Mumbai blasts.
The Times of India reported on 12th February 2012 the arrest of Kamal Chouhan, the main culprit behind the Samjhota Express blasts. The paper said, ‘ In another arrest in the Samjhota Express blast case, the National Investigation Agency has taken into custody an Indore based man Kamal Chouhan for his alleged role in the 2007 train attack. The arrest of Kamal Chouhan, believed to be a close aide of Ramji Kalsangra and Sandeep Dange, key accused in the case. Earlier Chouhan was asked to appear before the NIA headquarters through the summons served at his home at Depalpur Tehsil in Indore in Madhya Pradesh.’ Before the confession of Kamal Chouhan, an article of Saikat Datta was published in the Outlook India on 5th March 2007; the title was, ‘Rogue ISI Footprints.’ Saikat Datta is a writer very well known for his ill-will against Pakistan. Here is an extract from that article. ‘The suspected hand of ‘rogue ISI’ will figure prominently in the talks between RAW chief Ashok Chaturvedi and his British counterpart John Scarlett, now in India. Sources say Scarlett will share information about an ISI group unofficially helping the Taliban in Afghanistan. The British are said to have offered greater access to intelligence on the ISI to help the investigations into the Samjhota Express blasts.’ The same type of story may be concocted this time also. To give these concoctions a true colour of reality India has put security agencies on nationwide high alert to avoid any ‘breach’ of security and untoward incident. Indian authorities through such alerts are attempting to create an exploitable environment which could be helpful in dragging and framing Pakistan in any terrorist activity during Obama’s visit to India. President Obama is no doubt the leader of one of the most intelligent nations; he knows well how to react and what to decide in such a dangerous situation.
