The War Against Terror

 

There is far more to the war against Islamic terrorism than what appears on the surface. The United Nations has failed to define terrorism conclusively-largely because there has never been a consensus on it. This ambiguity persists primarily due to the selective and self-serving interpretations of terrorism by powerful nations. When armed insurgents serve Western interests in foreign territories, they are conveniently labelled as freedom fighters. A glaring example is the prolonged Afghan war. When Afghans resisted the Soviet occupation of their land, the United States and its Western allies generously funded and supported the so-called 'resistance' through Pakistan Pakistan, in tum, created and nurtured extremist outfits like the Taliban and Tehrik-e- Taliban, provided them with arms, training, and ideological indoctrination, and glorified them as 'Mujahedeen-the holy warriors of Islam. The Western media and governments endorsed this dangerous trend, blindly celebrating these extremist forces as defenders of freedom. In reality, they were fuelling a violent religious movement that would eventually threaten peace across South Asia and beyond. It was no surprise then, that the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee once warned Pakistan that it was playing with fire-a fire that could eventually engulf its own existence. Tragically, that prophecy came true when the very forces nurtured by the West turned against their creators. America, in particular, paid a heavy price for giving birth to a Frankenstein. Our Hindu religious texts are full of such cautionary tales-where divine beings, in their benevolence, grant boons to demons, only to face their wrath later. A parallel can be drawn here. Not long ago, a senior Pakistani foreign minister was caught on record admitting that Pakistan had been serving Western interests for decades by grooming Islamic terrorists. Emboldened by this tacit approval, Pakistan has felt licensed to bleed its neighbours-especially India-through the same proxies. Despite continuous denials, Pakistan has been deeply involved in sponsoring and facilitating terrorist activities on Indian soil. It has funded and supported Khalistani extremists in Punjab and has been actively fomenting unrest in Jammu and Kashmir since 1947. Pakistan's policy of exporting trained terrorists into Indian territory has resulted in immense loss of life and damage to regional stability. However, the BJP-led Indian government's policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism has begun to yield results. Unrelenting counterterror operations in J&K and across theLoC into PoJK have disrupted terror networks and frustrated their handlers. The mos Terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which claimed the lives of innocent tourists, was met with a swift and strong military response. India targeted and destroyed nine ter bases, including key headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba inside Pakistan. In the limited conflict that followed, Indian forces struck multiple Pakistan airbases, effectively grounding their air force and forcing Pakistan to seek a ceasefire. Yet, at such a critical juncture, opposition parties in India chose political expediency over national interest. The Congress leadership and other opposition figures began blaming the BJP government, reducing a strategic military response to a political sluglest. This Internal discord only helped Pakistan push a false narrative of military success, despite clear evidence to the contrary evidence that included satellite images and ground intelligence from Indian agencies In a further twist, the then US. President claimed rather prematurely that he had brokered peace between two nuclear-armed nations, thereby averting a global crisis. India, however, firmly denied entering any such deal. What was more troubling was the President's inability-or unwillingness to acknowledge Pakistan's long-standing role as a state sponsor of terrorism. He simplistically referred to the India-Pakistan conflict as a "thousand- year-old dispute," conveniently ignoring the fact that Pakistan was only created in 1947. It is disturbing how, from the United Nations in 1947 to the Western leadership of today the aggressor Pakistan is often equated with democratic India. Pakistan was bom out of a divisive, religiously charged ideology-asserting that Muslims and Hindus could not coexist. This very doctrine has since proven to be deeply flawed, undemocratic, and unsustainable. The internal turmoil in Pakistan-from the secession of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to the persistent unrest in Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, PoJK, and Sindh-bears testimony to this failed ideology. The West continues to turn a blind eye to these fault lines. It seems indifferent to whether Pakistan is ruled by a military junta or a puppet civilian government, so long as its geopolitical interests are served. They fail to distinguish between a functioning democrac like India, with constitutional institutions, and a nation like Pakistan that lacks any rea equivalence in terms of governance, stability, or values. The war on terror cannot-and must not-be dictated by parameters set by the West c the United States. This is a battle India must fight on its own terms, with its own strengt strategy, and moral clarity. The selective morality of the West, driven by short-term gain cannot guide us in this long and complex fight for justice, peace, and sovereignty. Th unity of the nation is essential for fighting the menace of Islamic terrorism.

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Courtesy: Maharaj Shah and Koshur Samachar-2025 , June