Indians should have the courage

July 13, 2006

Indians should have the courage

IT WAS definitely not any provocation that had triggered the series of bombings in India's commercial capital of Mumbai on Tuesday that killed nearly 200 people and injured over 600. Careful planning had gone into the seven blasts on suburban trains in a 12-minute span during the peak commuter hour. Some pundits suggest that those behind the bombings sought to exploit the unrest sparked by the desecration of a statue of the wife of militant Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray earlier in the week. They suggest that the bombings were aimed not only at sending the government a reminder of dissent among a certain community but also stoking Shiv Sena fury leading to communal riots in the city of more than 16 million people. That has not happened, and, by all accounts, the residents of Mumbai rose up in unity to deal with the aftermath of the bombings.
Thousands came out not only to help rush the victims of the blasts to hospital but also to extend a helping hand to those stranded in the streets as a result of the disruption of the suburban train system — Mumbai's lifeline that is used by more than six million people every day. People were there on the streets with water, refreshments and food for those who were stuck on traffic-clogged roads for hours. That is the greatness of a city like Mumbai where everyone is not only aware that he or she could be caught in a similar or even worse situation anytime but is also compassionate to step in and help each other in times of crisis. Equally importantly, they also realise that they are facing a common enemy who is trying to spark chaos in the society by fuelling communal sentiments. That is not limited to residents of Mumbai either. A majority of the people of India have come to accept that internal as well as external forces are working to undermine their dreams leading of a decent and dignified life if only because that achievement would help unleash the full potential of the country in the regional and international scenes.
Indian security and intelligence agencies have their jobs cut out for them. They might or might not be able to get the facts right and bust the case and bring the perpetrators to book. Terrorism has to be confronted ruthlessly whenever and wherever it occurs. So let them do their job, but we do hope that the end result of their work would not add fuel to the fire by targeting the wrong people.
Parallel to that, the Mumbai bombings must be seen in the wider context of the festering conflicts in the sub-continent.
India, a country of nearly 1.1 billion people which has emerged as a regional powerhouse — in all respects — is indeed a world leader in many aspects. It is a pity — to say the least — that the world's largest democracy has not been able to produce fair and just solutions to problems such as minority conflicts. In the absence of solutions, there are groups continuously plotting attacks and carrying them out whenever they determine that the time is opportune enough to do so. They do not need any specific incident or development to stage attacks.
That is a reality facing the country's leadership regardless of political or religious ideologies of those in legislative and executive power. There is little they could do about stopping militant groups which could spring up in any part of the country at any given point in time and inflict harm on the society as we saw on Tuesday in Mumbai. Those in power and in position of influence have to live with the truth that such attacks could happen anywhere anytime. The only way to counter the perpetual threat is to get to the roots of conflicts and problems that are breeding extremism and address them in a comprehensive and durable manner. Surely, India has enough intelligent and matured politicians and strategists to work out and pursue a course of action away from narrow political interests that block fair and just compromises that serve the broader national interests and help redivert precious human and material resources back into the development process. As long as the mindset to tackle the bull by the horns is missing in the circles that wield power as well as those who oppose them for the sake of opposition in the name of political expediency, they should be mentally prepared to confront repetitions of Tuesday's carnage in Mumbai.
At the same time, it is also our fervent hope that communal interests, from any part of the vast mosaic that is India, would open their eyes and refrain from throwing a spanner in the works of healing rifts and finding permanent solutions to the festering problems, whether in the north, south, east or west of the great nation.