And the Indian Government Censors, censors censors.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Govt-gearing-up-to-gag-news-websites/articleshow/4562292.cms

Look at that! (Hat Tip: Atanu Dey)

The Indian government has decided that its in its interest to gag the websites.

Barely four months after dropping its proposal of forcing TV channels to show only an "authorized" feed during security emergencies, the government is now seeking to censor news portals and other websites, that too even at normal times.  

The controversial draft rules released this month empower a designated Central government officer to block public access to any information on the Net for wide-ranging reasons of security and national interest.

Aam Aadmi's government it is, isnt it?

More WTFness

http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/20/stories/2009052057360100.htm

This is what the BJP especially - and no government should be doing - fixing show times is *nobody*s business except the movie theatre- and the govt. should concern itself with fixing only the start and end times - and these also should involve the government only because of safety reasons.

Missing the point

Normally you'd expect the CounterTerrorism blog to have a good amount of common-sense and dispense with a) bias and b) ridiculous conclusions, but apparently not.

In an article bordering on the ludicrous, here's a post on the CT blog (link), saying, I-kid-you-not, that peace in Kashmir will help stabilize Pakistan :

Pakistani-Indian rapprochement could be a tremendous aid to the Pakistani leadership in their efforts to stabilize their deteriorating country. If the Mumbai attacks have made that impossible, then the Mumbai terror attacks may prove to be one of the most consequential terrorist attacks in history.

Stabilizing Pakistan requires action on the Kashmir front, in terms of peace? Well, here's news for the chaps at CT, Kashmir is peaceful, by a massive scale as compared to Pakistan - and compared to itself way back in the tumultous 1990s. Its Pakistan that has all those bomb-attacks, Sharia-law and Pakistani army and government ceding space to the Taliban (maybe not the army, but.)

There is one thing, and one thing only which can stabilize Pakistan - and that is sustained, comprehensive action against the LeT, JeM, Taliban, former ISI employees who are training fundamentalist and the Al Qaeda (note the order).

The Cost Factor

In his op-ed at the Asian Age, Brahma Chellaney writes:

At the crux of the problem are the bribes the Pakistani military establishment openly seeks from the international community for any move on its part:

l To help rein in the Taliban — which it continues to bolster while pretending to be an ally in the US-led war on terror — it demands generous US military aid, although it has already diverted (according to American admissions) much of the received assistance to beef up
forces against India.

l To sever its institutional support to India-directed terror
groups, it demands a resolution — to its satisfaction — of the intractable and unsolvable Kashmir dispute.

l Having stunted nation-building and turned Pakistan into the world’s "Problemistan", it now warns the Pakistani State would implode unless the US continues its aid flow, totalling nearly $2 billion a year.

l To patrol Pakistan’s own border with Afghanistan, it demands — and gets — a special US payment of around $100 million a month.

l It scripts terror attacks in India and then immediately spotlights the Kashmir issue. The Mumbai attackers could have learned their amphibious assault skills only from military handlers, not non-State actors. Yet, shortly after the Mumbai assaults, Pakistan told the UN
Security Council that, "The best outcome of the tragedy would be the resolution of the issue of Kashmir".

He concludes with this thought:

India’s leadership deficit is manifest from the innocent pleas to Pakistan, including the extradition of 42 fugitives and the dismantlement of the State-run terrorist infrastructure.

Which Pakistan is going to do that? The powerless civilian government? The Janus-faced military establishment? Did the latter set up the terror complex to wage a war of a thousand cuts against India or to dismantle it at the enemy’s bidding? If they really wish to bring that establishment to heel, what costs are India’s leaders ready to impose?

 As I mentioned in my previous post, "Locks on every door, do not help!" :

There has been no cost of any of these attacks to Pakistan. (Operation Parakram only threatened war - and made the rest of the World lean on India - and not on Pakistan)

So the pertinent question that Brahma asks is answered thus:

India on Tuesday said it is not planning any military action against Pakistan but stressed that the neighbouring country will have to take action against terrorists there for the relations to improve.

"We are not planning any military action... But at the same time unless Pakistan takes actions against those terrorists who are
operating from their soil against India and also against all those who are behind the Mumbai terrorist attack, things will not be normal," Defence Minister A K Antony said.

Tag: Media, India, War on Terror, Terrorist State of Pakistan, Security Policy, War on Terror.

Locks on Every door do not help!

Post the Mumbai terror attacks, there have been scores of questions asked, a million answers provided, some conclusions arrived at. Most of it is on these lines:

1. India needs a central agency to fight terror,
2. Indian intelligence needs revamp, and freedom from Political interference.
3. Politicians are scumbags, have neglected the nation and need to Unite.
4. Law/Police reforms need to be carried out
   

Somewhere among there is also the mention of attacking Pakistan, killing terrorists etc.,

Till now, I've been rather spectator-like and not offering my insight in how we should tackle terror - and for good reason. Most of the times in the past, the reaction has tended to be localised - and died after a day (if we're lucky), or more like a couple of hours. This time has been different - both in the scale of the attack, and the reactions aroused.

Its been a stunning and welcome development - that people are coming out in force onto the streets. Not everyone has to come onto the streets for change - but the media's interviews, and the people coming on it have shown enough anger, and force for the government and society at large to respond.

For advocating what steps that one needs to take from here-on, one needs to know what the problem or issue is.

The problem is this:

1. India has been, and continues to suffer from terrorist attacks where perpetrators either directly or indirectly funded by and trained in Pakistan.(since late 1970s, early 80s)
   
2. There has been no cost of any of these attacks to Pakistan. (Operation Parakram only threatened war - and made the rest of the World lean on India - and not on Pakistan)
3. The last attacks have inflicted a total cost of 4,000 Crore Rupees on India. Cost to Pakistan is 50 lakh Rupees(for training/arming terrorists, etc.,) A gain of 200,000% for Pakistan!
   
4. Indian cities are now being viewed by the rest of the world as dangerous (read: Do not go) - again being clubbed with Pakistani ones - the big difference being is India is doing well on economic fronts
   

Now, thats the problem. What do these above indicate?

1. Status-quo and defensive mechanisms arent working.
2. Peace process with Pakistan is not working.
   
3. Pakistan is an existential enemy to India. No country that continues to attack another country for 30 years - without provocation can be negotiated with, for peace.
4. Pakistan is paying No Price for the terror attacks it carries out in India and Indian citizens, business and government are paying the price for the terror it imposes on us.
   
5. Indian cities and economy can face a loss of business confidence - global confidence if the status quo continues. So not only will innocent lives be lost - the global downturn will get added to, with a loss of confidence in India.
   

So what should we do? We should think of steps for the near, short, medium, long terms.

Near/Short terms:

1. Take the nation into confidence. Inspire the nation.

2. Hire a PR team for the Government. Ensure the government speaks with one voice.

3. Do NOT go to Conventional war with Pakistan

4. Bomb Pakistani terror camps. We know where they are - no need to inform anyone of what we're going to do. Just do it. Israelis do it, Americans do it - and rightly so.

5. Impose a cost on Pakistan for each terrorist attack. (see step 4)

6. Put in place mechanisms to raise and develop a strike force that will strike at strategic Pakistani targets - black ops.

7. Ensure every hawala transaction gets exemplary punishment. (go for broke, if necessary)

8. Brainstorm ways to strengthen border controls.

9. Enforce Better Border Controls

Medium/Long Term:

10.Tell the Nation and the world that We are right, and Pakistan is wrong. (avoid official statement though)

11. Name Pakistan as a state sponsor of Terror. (avoid official statement though)

12. Cut-off relations with Pakistan - piece by piece. India doesn't do any business worth the while with Pakistan - and shouldn't until Pakistan's core nation is defeated. (Follow Reagan in a sense)

13. Use every means - economic and otherwise (but short of war) to dismantle the state of Pakistan.

14. Relook at relations with the United States. The Nuclear deal is alright but if it thinks it can fight its war on terror by letting Pakistan off the hook - ensure business costs for that too.

15. Ensure steps 6, 7, 8, 9 reach their logical conclusions

Tag: Media, India, War on Terror, Terrorist State of Pakistan, Security Policy, War on Terror.

Easing "Tension", the Pakistani way

In his succint comments, Pakistani capitan Shoaib Malik(also known for this comment), gives us the way forward, post the terror Attacks on Mumbai :

Cricket can ease the escalating tension between India and Pakistan and it is important for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men to have a positive approach about next year's tour to the neighbouring nation, feels skipper Shoaib Malik.

"In the past also there have been diplomatic tensions between the two countries. There have been times when both countries have amassed their troops on the border but cricket has always played its role in reducing tensions," he opined.

Read the full report here(link)

There only seem to be a couple of hiccups though.

1. The terror Attacks in Mumbai were carried out by Pakistanis with support from Pakistani establishment (Also read Asia Times report here)
2. A certain Javed Miandad, who's Dawood Ibrahim's Samdhi (Miandad's son married Dawood's daughter).



 Tag: Media, India, War on Terror, Terrorist State of Pakistan, Security Policy, Cricket, War on Terror.

And when did smut arrive?

In magazine form ,more than 30 years ago, well the latest installments anyways. Here's what India today has(link)

The Defining Moment.

The Defining Moment of the 60 hour seige of Mumbai came when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went on Television and said, looking into the camera, and reflecting the nation's outrage, and anger: (link)

We will kill these bastards, We will defend our people. No one can hurt India and get away.

And the nation got behind him, they willed him to go after them - whether in Pakistan(link), Bangladesh, Myanmar or China. They provided their help, and the collective energy.

A national task force was formed with our best minds(S Patil, R R Patil, MMS) in place - taking inputs from the public - and Parliament convened in a special session to make onto law the changes proposed - with a timeframe and punitive action suggested for delays.
India learnt its lessons, prioritized security, put value on human life.

 Tag: Media, India, War on Terror, Terrorist State of Pakistan, Security Policy, Aam Aadmi (Common Man), War on Terror.

++Terror

Mumbai today, somewhere else tomorrow. A terror attack roughly every 25 days - almost as regular as the monthly salary.

These are the thoughts going through my head -

• Nikamma (Incompetent) Governance by the UPA
  
• Ordinary citizens not marching for, demanding Security
• Information being given out by the Television media - dont terrorists know about Television?
  

Tag: Media, India, War on Terror, Terrorist State of Pakistan, Security Policy, Aam Aadmi (Common Man), War on Terror.

Simple, Noble folk

From the India Today Archives, 30 years ago:

"So what if my son is a chief minister. I'm carrying on my farming. I make enough to eat, even though I cannot give haircuts anymore," said the 85-year-old weather-beaten patriarch. "What do I need his money for?"

(emphasis added)

Here's the article(link). If only more such people existed in this age and world.

 Tag:  Simple folk, India, India Today Archives.