Deal with the root of terrorism

The entire nation pays tributes to the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the motherland while fighting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. The militants’ attack on soldiers in Srinagar a day before the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh visit to Kashmir should serve as eye opener for India that unless and until it deals with the root of terrorism, it can not fight it to finish. In the militants strike, 8 soldiers lost their lives. A few days back, the militants also had shot down two soldiers. If the local news agency is to be believed, these attacks are the handiwork of indigenous militant outfit Hujbul Mujahideen whose chief is staying in the safe land of our hostile neighbour Pakistan. So, when the question is raised to deal with root cause of terrorism seriously, firmly and judiciously, it is Pakistan from where it emanates and spreads across the world. With the US initiative to start peace talks between Taliban and Afghanistan in place, a moral booster has been provided to terrorists if the killing of 8 in Afghanistan by Taliban and the same number in Pakistan in recent days are anything to go by. Any leniency to Taliban by Afghanistan under US pressure to start peace talks with them may prove to be a threat to peace and security in South Asia region in general and India in particular. It is an open secret the root of terrorism is in Pakistan. Terrorism that poses danger to the international community emanates from there. With the victory of Nawaz Sharif and the positive messages coming from him in regard to eastablishing peaceful and friendly relations with India, we must not be in any delusion and everything will change overnight in Pakistan. India’s bitter experience of Kargil and Bombay serial blasts of 1993 serve as reminder to Nawaz Sharif’s regime. The audacious militants strike on the eve of PM’s visit is a wake-up call to India that it must not slacken its security and preparedness to face any eventuality as and when it takes place. Increasing tourism in Jammu and Kashmir cannot be an alibi for the state government to plead for relaxations in vigil by security forces. The killing of soldiers by militants will bring down the morale of security personnel deployed there for safety and security of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. They are there to thwart any attempt of disintegration by Pak-sponsored terrorism. Armed Force Special Power Act ( AFSPA) is as essential there in today’s developing security environment in Jammu and Kashmir as it was at the time when introduced to legally armed the security personnel to fight terrorism to finish. Army's consent is of uppermost importance whether to revoke AFSPA from some areas there or not. Presently, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir requires special attention by the armed forces.