Bloody Spring Blossom
The spring-thaw at the peak of white winter has blown in warm air in Indo-Pak relationship. A mirage of permanent peace is discernible. It is hoped the spring blooms are not mirages and are not smeared with blood.
However, ordinary Indian citizen, battered by Pakistan’s proxy war and direct jihadist intervention do not feel insulated by diplomatic theory of constructive engagement and geopolitical theory of war by peace. The thaw is chillier than frozen winter. They are worried about opening up of the multi-commutation routes between the two countries-Bus services between Delhi-Lahore, Shrinagar-Muzaffarabad, Amritsar-Lahore and train services between Delhi-Lahore and Munabao-Khokrapar. Delhi has proposed extension of the Munabao-Khokrapar route up to Ajmer, a holy place to the sub-continental Muslims. Similarly, Pakistan has also proposed opening up of Amritsar-Nankana Sahib bus route.
The diplomatic theory of constructive engagement is a tool of confidence building between two hostile nations preparing for larger geopolitical steps like total military disengagement and absolute normalisation of relationship. That is the pinnacle of relationship between two nations that were born out of hatred, civilisational incompatibility and geostrategic drift of the seemingly two different nations.
In the meantime, the Union Home Secretary has announced the waiver of pre-verification for Amritsar-Lahore bus passengers. He is consistent with the practices prescribed for Delhi-Lahore and Shrinagar-Muzaffarabad bus passengers and the passengers of the train routes. The people of Punjab could not be discriminated against in preference to the people of Jammu & Kashmir and rest of India.
The diplomats, bureaucrats and political class are happy with the spring blooms and chiming glasses at official parties. The camera lenses are bursting with glee. However, the security and intelligence community are losing their sleep over the darker issues of long-term security ramifications for the country. They have reasons to feel uncomfortable in the light of recent incidents of detection of use of the train route for smuggling in jihadists and weapons to India by the Pakistani jihadi tanzeems and use of free movement facilities by the Inter Services Intelligence and Military Intelligence of Pakistan.
Certain provisions of the Foreigners Registration and other Acts and rules and regulations devised by the Union Home and External Affairs Ministries regulate granting of visa and by the Indian embassies. Over years Black Books are prepared for the security suspects of different categories and to these are added to lists of suspects who are to be denied visa, who would require pre-clearance and who belong to referral category. The agencies take years to prepare such lists, which cannot be ignored for the sake of normalisation of relationship with a country that is still engaged in proxy war. These materials are available with the Indian embassies and immigration offices.
The present policy of India towards this vital international traffic is not regulated by any amendment in the Acts and modification and changes in the Black Book and other security-regulated lists maintained at the instance of the Union Home Ministry. How can a country flout its own regulations without considering the greater security perils? Has the Union government carried out mandatory consultations with the State governments on this issue?
While the common Indians welcome the spring blooms they cannot remain oblivious to the fact that the ISI and jihadist tanzeems promoted by it in Pakistan and Bangladesh are incessantly carrying out acts of war against the common people of India in the heart of Delhi and other core centres like Bangalore, Mumbai and Hyderabad etc places. They are also concerned that about 20 active and dangerous Sikh terrorist leaders and about 75 cadres are being hosted in Pakistan by the ISI. The Pakistan Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee works under the supervision of a former ISI chief. Large numbers of former Sikh militants are in touch with their leaders in Pakistan and they may find fresh opportunities to interact with ISYF, KCK and Babbar Khalsa etc groups lodged in Pakistan. The ground realities in Punjab are not inimical to resurgence of Pakistan inspired militancy.
What concerns the ‘Aam-Admi’ more is the USA and UNO reports about the Pakistani Jihadists tanzeems having deployed over 22,000 volunteers in the occupied Kashmir areas, who are working in close collaboration with the Pakistan army. The jihadists and the ISI operatives are more active in POK today than they were there before the earthquake. What worries the common Indian is the possibility of blatant misuse of the newly opened up lines of communication by the ISI and its Jihadi friends. They are apprehensive of increased acts subversion, sabotage and terrorism inside the heartland areas of the country. This also provides many opportunities to the ‘sleeper’ ISI modules and cells to set up their clones in other parts of the country.
The Indian people welcome friendship with Pakistan and extending the lease of life to the present phase of constructive engagement and war through peace. They look forward to total normalisation of relations. However, they are keen to know if the government is not opening up all windows and doors at the cost of increased security threat to the country! The present phase do not carry any seed of permanent peace until Pakistan dismantles its jihadist tanzeems, forgets the bad dream of occupying Kashmir, abandons proxy war and deactivate the ghosts of the ISI. Until that time the blood-smeared spring blooms will haunt them and they will question the aggregated added value of war through peace.
