By Shubham Kamal:
Dear Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
I am not a diplomat. I am not a politician. I am not an adviser. I am not from a rich background. I don’t belong to the armed forces. I am not a defence expert. When I write, I do so as a citizen of India. The constitution gives me the right to elect and the right to ask questions. I am a common man.
During the 2014 elections, I heard many of your formulas for development. You always attacked the previous government on external issues.
I had voted for you in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Your ministers targeted Pakistan at all times during election rallies but alleged attacks by terrorists from Pakistan continue even while you are in power.
It began with the terrorist attack in Gurdaspur, Punjab, last year, when terrorists, allegedly from across the border came and attacked a police station. Seven people were killed in the attacks, which included civilians, policemen and home guards. We expected you to respond hard but you did not do that.
Another terror attack took place at Pathankot in the first week of January in 2016. Seven security personnel were murdered. It was a cowardly terror attack. This was only a week after you had made a surprise visit to Pakistan to meet the country’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. It was a disgrace. You had told Nawaz Sharif that immediate action was required against the people responsible for the Pathankot attack. You ended up inviting Pakistani investigators to probe the Pathankot attack. According to this PTI report published in The Times of India, the investigators claimed that India failed to provide evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in the attacks.
Interestingly, you also raised the issue of the plight of the people of Balochistan in Pakistan in your Independence Day speech from the Red Fort. It is going to be much more crucial for you to tackle Pakistan instead of China.
Eighteen soldiers were killed in a terrorist attack in the town of Uri in Kashmir on September 19. This may not be a large number for you and your government, but it is for us. The government also alleged involvement of Pakistani elements in it.
This attack has been the final nail in the coffin and has exposed the shortcomings of your foreign policy. It also shows how you are unable to pressurise Pakistan in any way.
After the attack in Uri, you put out a tweet condemning the incident and giving assurance that perpetrators of this ghastly attack will be punished. As the nation becomes angrier, you try to heal our wounds by only tweeting? We are reminded of your words before you became the Prime Minister.
You emotionally blackmailed us before the 2014 elections. You touched the nerves of young people and converted our emotions into votes for your party. Even you know that it so much easier to say things and much harder to act when it comes to tackling the issue of alleged sponsorship of terrorism in India by Pakistani elements.
National Investigation Agency is going to probe into the terror attacks in Uri and will probably take a long time to come up with a report. What if another terror attack takes place in the meanwhile?
The nation is boiling. Enough is enough. We can’t accept it anymore. Now, your first priority should be to ensure a bright future for the families of the soldiers killed in the terror attacks in Uri. Do not forget that this time people have their eyes wide open and expect you to keep your promises when it comes to security issues.
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